Install Tailscale on an Apple TV

You can add your Apple TV to your Tailscale network (known as a tailnet) to access your media server content remotely, route your Apple TV traffic through an exit node, or advertise your Apple TV as an exit node.

Prerequisites

• Apple TV with tvOS version 17 or later
• Verify that Apple TV is configured as a home hub
• An existing tailnet for connecting your Apple TV with your other devices

Install Tailscale on tvOS

1. Open tvOS on your Apple TV and click the App Store icon.

2. Search for the Tailscale app and select Get. You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password to confirm.

3. Open the Tailscale app on tvOS. In the Welcome to Tailscale for tvOS page, select Install VPN Configuration, then select Allow.

4. In the Tailscale app interface, click Connect.

5. Scan the QR code for authorizing the Apple TV to your tailnet. Alternatively, you can type the URL into your device browser, such as a phone or a computer. You may be prompted to log in if your device needs to be authenticated to the tailnet.

Once connected to the tailnet, the Tailscale app on the Apple TV will display the app interface, available options, and device information. Also, note that your Apple TV will display in the Machines page of the admin console.

Access remote media servers

If you have a media server such as Plex, Channels, or Jellyfin on an existing tailnet, you can access the content from your Apple TV. The following instructions assume that the Tailscale app is already installed and configured.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV, and click My Other Devices.
2. Locate the media server name of the tailnet (for example, jellyfin).
3. Locate the tailnet name. This can be found on the main page of the Tailscale app and in the DNS page of the admin console (for example, pangolin.ts.net).
4. Open the media server app on tvOS. When prompted for the media server address, enter the combined media server and tailnet name (for example, jellyfin.pangolin.ts.net).

Additional configuration for the media server may be required. For more information about configuring media server apps on Apple TV, consult the documentation for the specific app you are using.

Use a device exit node

You can route your Apple TV through a device exit node on your tailnet. This is useful if you would like your Apple TV to appear as if it is connected to the internet, from where the exit node is geographically located.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. In the Exit Node section, select an exit node that you want to route traffic through.

When your Apple TV is using another device as an exit node, the active exit node connection will display in blue.

Use a Mullvad exit node

You can route your Apple TV traffic through a Mullvad exit node on your tailnet. This lets you specify an exit node based on geographical location instead of choosing a tailnet device that is designated as an exit node.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. Open the Exit Node section. Under Location-Based Exit Nodes, select Mullvad VPN.
3. Select a country to use as the exit node.

When your Apple TV is using a Mullvad exit node, the active exit node connection in the Tailscale app will display in blue.

Advertise Apple TV as an exit node

You can use your Apple TV as an exit node, and configure other devices in your tailnet to route their traffic through Apple TV. This is useful if you would like to route traffic through your home internet connection when you're away.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. Open the Exit Node section, and select None.
3. Select Run as Exit Node and confirm.
4. In your web browser, open the Machines page of the admin console.
5. Locate the Apple TV in the list, click the button, and select Edit route settings. Click the Use as exit node toggle to enable.

When your Apple TV is being used as an exit node:

• The active exit node connection will display in orange.
• The Apple TV device will display in the Machines page of the admin console with the Exit Node badge.

Advertise Apple TV as a subnet router

Use these instructions if you want Apple TV to act as a subnet router in your tailnet. This lets you remotely access resources on your home network that may not have Tailscale installed, such as a printer.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV, and select Subnet Router.
2. Select Advertise New Route. A placeholder combined IP address and subnet mask (CIDR) of 192.168.1.0/24 will display. You can accept this default route, edit the route, and add multiple routes to advertise.

When adding or editing an advertised route, you must use the correct CIDR format, such as 192.168.1.0/24.

Disconnect Apple TV from a tailnet

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. At the top of the screen, next to tailnet name, click Disconnect.

Stop using another device as an exit node

Use these instruction to stop your Apple TV from using either a tailnet device exit node or a Mullvad location-based exit node.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. In the Exit Node section, click Disable next to the exit node currently in use.

The exit node that you stopped using will continue to display at the top of the screen as Disabled. If you no longer want to see it displayed there, click None, and the exit node will move back down to the Exit Nodes In My Tailnet section.

Stop using Apple TV as an exit node

Use these instructions if you want to stop using Apple TV as an exit node in your tailnet.

1. Open the Tailscale app on your Apple TV.
2. In the Exit Node section, click your Apple TV in the list to turn off exit node usage for the device entirely, or select another exit node to use instead.
   • If you click the Apple TV and no longer want to use an exit node for the device, click Disable.
   • If you click another exit node to use instead of the Apple TV, click Stop using as exit node.

Troubleshooting

I can't access my Apple TV when it goes to sleep

The most common reason your Apple TV cannot be accessed when asleep is that it's not configured as a home hub. Typically, during the initial setup of an Apple TV, it is automatically set as a home hub. However, this feature can become disabled if you move your Apple TV to a different physical location or make significant configuration changes to your network.

To verify that the Apple TV is configured as a home hub, open the Home app on an iOS device. Go to Settings, then Home Hubs & Bridges, and look for the Apple TV.

To configure your Apple TV as a home hub, open the Apple TV interface, go to Settings, then AirPlay and HomeKit, and verify that the Apple TV is assigned to a room and has a name.