Taken only on its specs, the Apple TV 4K is a fast piece of streaming hardware. It has been for years -- I have a 2017 model in my kitchen that's still more than capable of running tvOS 26. There's very little reason for me to upgrade either of the units in my house until a rumored 2025 model ships, which will at least bump me up to a model with Thread, HDR10+, and Apple Intelligence. I'm not sure Apple Intelligence will be a big deal, given how well that's panned out on other Apple devices so far.
Forcing SDR instead of HDR
A potentially necessary evil
Normally, you should leave HDR (high dynamic range) on whenever possible. The technology intensifies highlights, brings out shadow details, and even improves the vibrancy of colors, as long as your TV is compatible with the particular HDR format(s) a video supports. In some cases, this can mean the difference between a scene being wonderfully moody or incomprehensibly dark. Just ask people who saw the last season of Game of Thrones.
Sometimes, however, an Apple TV will pause for a moment when flipping between HDR and SDR (standard dynamic range), or temporarily black out your screen. Hypothetically, it might also do the same switching between HDR modes, although I haven't experienced that one personally. If any of this is getting on your nerves, you can force tvOS to stay in SDR mode all the time.
First you'll need to go to Settings -> Video and Audio and disable Match Dynamic Range under Match Content. Next, go to Settings -> Video and Audio -> Format, then pick the SDR mode appropriate for your TV's resolution. That's usually 4K SDR. Downgrading to 1080p on a 4K TV won't help anything, if you're curious.
For those who can't bear the idea of losing HDR in compatible movies and TV shows, you may be able to leave Match Dynamic Range on. If HDR kicks in for videos without a hitch, you're golden.
Reducing transparency effects
For speed purists only
This option is irrelevant on 2017 Apple TVs, since they're not powerful enough to support tvOS 26's added transparency effects. If you have a 2021 or 2022 model, however, you can potentially speed up tvOS (slightly) by reducing the intensity of those effects. If nothing else, this should improve the legibility of text and buttons when it clashes with background content.
All you need to do is go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Display and toggle Reduce Transparency. There's no room for nuance unfortunately -- this will affect the look of any interface element with a transparent overlay, including Control Center and in-app playback controls. That's probably what you're most concerned about, however, since it can sometimes be harder to read Liquid Glass buttons if they're floating on top of a white or gray background.
Downgrading to 4:2:0 chroma subsampling
An end to flaky signals
Technically, this won't solve any speed issues, but it may fix a problem that feels like one. In rare situations, trouble with an HDMI connection can lead to your screen flickering or blacking out completely, as with that HDR/SDR switchover delay I mentioned a moment ago. Here the trouble involves color data -- while a chroma option like 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 will better preserve color, including the sharpness of text, that may be too much data for a connection to handle when signal quality is weak. To downgrade, go to Settings -> Video and Audio -> Chroma and pick 4:2:0.
Ultimately this is just a stopgap solution. since you may not be happy with the resulting image quality, and there's no guarantee you'll have fixed everything for good. For a permanent fix, you'll have to improve your HDMI signal. If you're using an especially long cable measuring dozens of feet, you may need to buy an HDMI signal booster. There could also be a problem with the cable itself -- try swapping in another one that's confirmed to work with other devices. If the original cable is defective, there's no choice but to find a replacement. Be sure to get one with HDMI 2.1or later if you want to take full advantage of both your Apple TV 4K and the latest display technologies, such as variable refresh rate (VRR).
Switching to the Grid keyboard
Type faster using the Siri Remote
One of the most baffling interface choices in human history is the default (Linear) tvOS keyboard. This arranges characters into just one or two lines, forcing you to do a lot of unnecessary swiping to type something out with the Siri Remote. There's a reason most onscreen keyboards use four lines or more. In fact, the standard keyboard is so frustrating, I'll almost immediately resort to typing in my iPhone's Remote app if I have it handy.
Unbeknownst to a lot of people, tvOS has the option to force a Grid keyboard layout. It's still not as efficient as typing on your iPhone, but it's quick enough that you may be fine leaving your phone in your pocket. You may have seen this layout in some apps before, it's just that too many don't take advantage of it.
Slay the demon by navigating to Settings -> General -> Keyboard Layout and clicking on Grid. An important warning though: some apps may be so deeply based around the Linear keyboard that this will actually break their design. If that happens, go back to the Keyboard Layout menu and choose Auto.
Moving less-used apps into folders
Declutter your homescreen
If you've been using an Apple TV for a few years, you may have accumulated an assortment of apps that you don't use very much, but don't want to delete either.This can potentially result in a lot of unnecessary swiping. One way around this is by moving apps into themed homescreen folders.
To get started, use the Siri Remote to click and hold on the first app you want to put in a folder. Choose Move to- > New Folder, then select the folder name up top if you want to edit its text. Whenever that's finished, click Done. Hit the Back or Menu button (as appropriate) to return to the regular homescreen view.
Next, of course, you'll want to move other apps into that folder. That's extremely simple -- for each one, click and hold on it, then pick Move to- > [folder name]. If you want to undo anything, use the Move to -> Home Screen option for each folder item. Once the last app in a folder is removed, the folder disappears.