In addition to removing iTunes Movies and TV Shows from Apple TV, tvOS 26.4 also includes a new setting for “Continuous Audio Connection.”
Here’s how Apple describes the setting when enabled: “Apple TV uses a Dolby MAT connection for seamless playback across formats. Older receivers may indicate an Atmos connection, but the original mixes will not be modified.”
Apple appears to have added this new setting in part to address complaints from Apple TV users who use Sonos speakers paired with AV receivers. Some users have reported hearing crackling or an uncomfortably low volume level on certain channels, specifically 5.1 channel content.
According to reports on the Sonos subreddit, enabling the new “Continuous Audio Connection” setting fixes these issues.
“I can confirm that this feature has solved my problems with 5.1 multichannel PCM content being much quieter than Atmos content,” says one user. “My 5.1 content sounds just as great as Atmos,” adds another user.
“The previous solution was to disable eARC and have the TV transcode to Dolby Digital Plus, or force Dolby Digital on the Apple TV. But that’s no longer needed!”, writes one user.
However, in a separate thread, some Sonos users say that this new setting leads to problems playing stereo content.
To summarize, this new “Continuous Audio Connect” setup may fix some Sonos/Apple TV/receiver bugs, but it may also introduce new ones. tvOS 26.4 is currently available to developers and public beta users, so Apple will likely refine this setting further during the beta testing process.
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