Apple’s upcoming operating systems have been found to include passthrough audio, which hands off audio processing to a sound system.

Earlier this week, Apple debuted iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26 during their WWDC keynote. WWDC 2025 primarily debuted a new ‘Liquid Glass’ redesign, but also brought key updates to Apple Music, Apple Music Sing and AirPods. However, AppleInsider found a feature that wasn’t mentioned on stage but has been discovered through developer documentation and since confirmed by Apple.

When using a streaming app on Apple TV, currently the audio gets processed by the Apple TV before being sent to a sound system. Passthrough audio allows raw audio to be sent from the source directly to the sound system for processing. On high-end gear, this could lead to significantly improved audio quality.

Passthrough audio is coming to not only tvOS 26, but also Apple’s other operating systems, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26. The feature will no doubt be most useful on an Apple TV as this device most commonly interfaces directly with premium audio equipment, however there could be genuine use cases on macOS also, as some hook up Macs to their home theater system.

While the feature is available in Apple’s upcoming software, it will require developers to get on board and enable it within their apps. Hopefully we will see all major streaming services support the feature soon. This feature has the potential to be a game changer for audiophiles using an Apple devices in their high-end home theater setup.