Apple TV screensaver tvOS13

Oh, it's just a total mess, like everything about this horrifically-supported product.

I just reset my entire Apple TV. Two things I now notice:

• I'm getting the same error mode (black screen/spinning wheel when selecting Screen Saver preview and just nothing/black... and then eventually drops back into Aerial again when Screen Saver actually starts on its own) with the "Music Library" setting... so it's not just the Photos that's broken
• Something is very wrong with the storage management on the Apple TV with regards to Photos. I've downloaded just one (1) app ("Space Left TV" which totals a whopping 12 megabytes) and zero other media so far since resetting my 32 GB Apple TV 4K; all I've done is simply turn on my iCloud Photo Library, which contains around 80,000 photos and videos, and while it's only still very early in the process of acquiring thumbnails for the library (it's only back to 2017, while the Library starts in 2004), the Apple TV is already 2/3 full (20.69 GB used; 11.15 GB remaining... and rapidly declining!) . My iPhone, with all those thumbnails from the very same iCloud Photo Library already downloaded on there, and many many many of the full files on there as well, only shows 18GB used... and probably far less than half of that is for the library thumbnails. The Apple TV is busting well through this, and it's only got a couple of years worth of thumbnails, tops, and no full-size photos or videos downloaded whatsoever.

Explain this, Apple.

But instead, I'm sure I'm just going to see yet another "Level 9" "volunteer" trot out with some to insultingly inapplicable link to some perfunctory knowledge base article, or canned advice like "Have you tried restarting your device?" or "Are you logged into iCloud?".

(oh, and while I'm waiting for the whole thumbnail-download process to churn its way through... I was using Photos on my Mac, and it spontaneously crashed... and after re-opening, I'm now I'm facing yet another unmistakable software bug shared by many Apple users for quite some time that Apple seemingly has no intention of addressing. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250731803. It's not just their software that is broken - Apple itself is broken. Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave.)

Having exactly the same problem. I used to use "Homesharing" and then select a any given album in my Photos library as Screensaver. And prior to TVOS13 it worked just fine. Now it just shows a black screen and after a while it reverts back to the default "Arial video". It must be a bug, so I'll hope it'll be corrected in a future update.

Thanks for your research and sharing it. For me, it didn't work, uninstalled two potential apps, neither Home Sharing nor My Photos stayed on when switching off/(on) power, it's in either ways back to Aerial.

Hope you all report this annoying bug on https://www.apple.com/feedback/appletv.html

There seems to be light now at the end of the tunnel, as a user in this thread reports that the tech people at Apple are "aware of the problem" - which IS a great start, considering the fact that is has been only around for three months and there must have been hundreds of bug reports and annoyed messages.

Hi to ALL those Suffering the Same Symptoms!

Here is what I did and it definitely Works for Me -- tested it over by selecting a new Album and its Worked for two days no problems 🙏🏻

1. Although my Apple TV Gen 4 has "Automatic Updates ON" I found that it simply Will Not do This. I have the first Gen 4 and was told that it sometimes has a glitch SO Here Goes REALLY HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE get their Photos back!

1. Went to Settings and Update Software -- selected and let it do its thing --- Version 13.3.1 latest at of today. Sat Feb 01.
2. Pulled both connections out of the back of the Apple TV -- then reconnected them. [I know you can go to Restart in the Settings but I find it works for me to just pull the USB and Power Connections out]
3. TV started up as normal after connecting to Wireless Signal.
4. Went to my iMac
5. Settings and Sharing Folder [Blue and Yellow]
6. EVEN though Home Sharing was all blue and ticked I unselected it and reselected it.
7. Requires you to Enter Your Apple ID password - no problem.
8. Selected which Albums I wanted to Share from PHOTOS
9. Out to the Apple TV and to Settings
10. General - Screensaver - Type - Selected Home Sharing
11. Selected my "Water Scapes" and Yes to Screensaver [Naturally]
12. Selected a 2 Minute Start
13. Selected Ken Burns as I still love this format for the Screen with a Fade to Black Transition 📺
14. Went back to the Apple TV Screen and waited for the two minutes and BINGO all up and running.

I tried the same test with Photos. And had the same negative results.

I got a work around, but it was labor intensive.

• I opened Safari, went to iCloud.com, logged in and went to Photos.
• In Photos I went to My Albums. I created a new Album named screensaver.
• Then I manually uploaded 300+ photos to the Album screensaver.

I say manually because if I did more that 30 or so at a time, it would error. Errors were either there is a duplicate Photo or this image is not a JPG (hint: they were all JPG and I did not upload duplicate, since I went row by row).

Then on the Apple TV device, I was finally able to see the Screen Saver Album in the Photos app.

I chalk all this up to progress. Apple is trying to educate me on a new process of how to view my photos on my TV while streaming radio. Of course this progress means there is a new and better way to do this. Which probably includes costing more money and giving up more of my privacy. That or I am no bright enough to figure it out.

Either way seeing posts on the community board of the same issue is a hopeful reminder we do not have to suffer alone.

(for non native english readers, the above two paragraphs are my attempt at sarcasm ;-) )

After the 13.3 update, all apps working properly on all 3 units I’m running ... still drops my screensaver selection ... the last thing I did that made my photos populate and not just a circling black screen was to:

1. Logout of all accounts(iCloud, etc).... including on your computer
2. Unplug Apple TV,
3. Wait at least 10 minutes for iCloud cache to clear
4. Make sure the selection on your computer is correct for using photos
5. Restart Apple TV
6. Sign in to all accounts on your devices

Just to be clear, these were the steps to get My Photos showing for selection as a screen saver ... Apple TV still forgets my screensaver choice if it restarts

UPDATE to 13.4 was on my Apple TV undated yesterday

NO DIFFERENCE --- Screensaver selected Home Sharing with all of the correct settings double checked.

1. Would not give a Preview
2. Black Screen

SLIDESHOW options does play from all of my Home Sharing Photos so its nothing at my iMac end that is the problem.

I realize in the current CV World that this problem is not important but if someone could place it on the Agenda for down the track please.

Cheers and Stay Safe Out There in Apple Land

Having the same issue and it's indeed maddening. I have opened iTunes on my laptop and reset the home sharing several times, have also restarted the Apple TV and actually had it work for a day or so but then: like a horror film monster that just won't die... the screensaver kicks in and we are back, once again, at Aerial.

*sigh*

Particularly saddening because I actually dig and use the Earthlapse app (good ambient NASA space video) which the Aerial screensaver is quite similar to, but am now finding myself conditioned to feel undulating ripples of agitation coursing throughout my body every time I see this pop up on the screen...

You first have to create this type of screen saver, by making a photo selection. Photo Library Screen saver requires photos in your iCloud Photos library.

Go into you Photos app on Apple TV, select an iCloud Photos album, then click Set as Screen saver.

Then the screen saver will know what to show, when called upon.

Note that for very large albums, the screen saver selection will be a subset.

Note that the screen saver consists of cached copies (thus no live updates of additions/edits).

Not only do I have this issue, the same issue manifests itself with shared albums from Apple Photos.

I've tried completely logging out of all iCloud accounts on both my iMac and my AppleTV, restarting, loggin back in, and encounter the same issues.

That's interesting, since there is other threads that discuss Home sharing not working.

I started one of these threads. My Home Sharing option is available, but it does not list a photos option.

Even though I have Turn on Home Sharing and specified the folder for the photos to be shared, the Apple TV does not display this folder. IT does not even have the listing for Photos.

I even tried this on a fresh Mac Mini. Wiped it clean, installed Catalina, Logged in with My Apple ID for iCloud, etc, Connected it to the same Wi-Fi network as the apple TV, Turned on Home Sharing, specified the folder of Photos to be shared.

Still nothing on the Apple TV.

Similar problem with a twist, through HomeSharing I can select an album from Computer Photos, it changes the screensaver to Home Sharing and it works as expected until Apple TV is idle, when woken up screensaver reverts back to Aerial.

Any solution would be greatly appreciated!!!

Mine still is not working. Home sharing does not see the shared photos folder.

Plus it’s a crap shoot on which screen saver will run, every time I turn it on.

Very annoying, since this all occurred after the update.

i experienced the same thing after the update and upgrade to Catalina. My failure was not going to Setting/Sharing on the Mac. When I selected File Sharing and then turned on Home Sharing, I was able to select Photos then Albums. It took several(approx 25) minutes for my albums to appear in the selection window. Once they appeared I checked the ones wanted.

Then on Apple TV signed out of all accounts, waited a few minutes then signed in again... now My Home Sharing albums showed and were selectable.

I have 3 AT 4K HD units, did same on all and it worked.

The issue now is, as ides described, all 3 revert to Aerial after being asleep.

Has to be a bug!