Device by device
What TapeBox does, and where.
Free for a month, then a one-time purchase across all the devices in your Apple family.
| Feature | Apple TVTV | iPhone | iPad | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For children | ||||
| One calm shelfBig posters, Keep watching at the top, and nothing else: no trailers, suggestions or search. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Age rating on every posterIn your country’s ratings, on Keep watching too. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carry on in another roomWatch progress stays on your server. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple’s own playerWith subtitles and a choice of audio language. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pictures while scrubbingFrom Jellyfin’s Trickplay images. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Soon |
| Each child’s badge and ratingsNot for me, Like it or Love it, and a Family favourites shelf. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| A film’s page, if you want oneWhat it’s about and how long it is, before it plays. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keep watching on the Home ScreenThe Apple TV’s Top Shelf. | ✓ | – | – | – |
| For grown-ups | ||||
| Settings behind a PINOpened from Home, or by holding Play/Pause on the Siri Remote. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Face ID or Touch ID instead of the PINWhere the device has it. | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Age limit for each screenAbove it, films are left off or padlocked. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Libraries for each screenEverything in the living room, the children’s films in the playroom. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen timeA daily limit and a bedtime for each screen. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Show everything for one sittingIt locks again by itself. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| A title and background for HomeA colour, one of ours, or a family photo chosen on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Every screen in the house, from anotherSee what each is playing, add time, and change any setting. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| What’s playing, on your Lock ScreenEach screen that’s playing, what’s on and for how long. | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Share with another Apple AccountInvite another grown-up from an iPhone, iPad or Mac; an Apple TV on their account joins too. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| StatsWhat’s been watched each day, for how long and on which screen. Off on any screen you choose. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your server | ||||
| Jellyfin and PlexSigning in with Quick Connect or plex.tv/link from your phone. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Finds Jellyfin on your home networkHome address first, an away address when you’re out. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Needs tvOS 18, iOS 18, iPadOS 18 or macOS 15 or later. The Lock Screen needs an iPhone that shows Live Activities.
Version history
What’s new, version by version.
TapeBox isn’t in the App Store yet. These are the test versions so far, newest first.
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Coming next
Share your TapeBox house with another Apple Account, with one grown-up PIN for the whole house. If the PIN is forgotten, your server’s administrator can choose a new one. Face ID or Touch ID instead of the PIN. Age ratings on Keep watching. A week of watching on the Stats card, and Stats can be turned off on any screen. New screens start on a colourful background.
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Test version 13
2 November 2026Grown-ups rebuilt around the screens in the house: every screen has the same page of settings, whether it’s the one in your hand or one across the house, and any setting can be changed from another screen.
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Test version 12
1 November 2026Screen time, with a daily limit and a bedtime. Every screen in the house from your phone, and what’s playing on your iPhone’s Lock Screen. A title and background for Home, the order of the shelves, the shape of the age badges and a Family favourites shelf. A free month, then a one-time purchase. TapeBox for Mac.
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Test versions 9 to 11
1 November 2026Pictures while scrubbing. Stats. A page for each film, if you want one. Children’s ratings easier to find. Sound on an iPad or iPhone that’s on silent.
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Test versions 6 to 8
24 to 29 October 2026Finds your Jellyfin server on the home network. A sleep timer for episodes that play one after another. A choice of what Recently added holds.
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First test versions
19 to 23 October 2026One calm screen of posters with Keep watching at the top. Each Apple TV showing only its own libraries and age ratings, watch progress shared between rooms, and grown-up settings behind a PIN.