Apple TV 4K screensaver keeps switching back to aerial

I’m running 13.4 with beta update on. I set to home sharing and rebooted. So far so good. But that doesn’t mean much because it takes multiple days to tell if it worked.

This has been driving me crazy for as long as I recall. The hard part is, it feels like such an easy fix. In any software update, there are user settings saved and migrated to the new install. The choice of screen saver apparently hasn’t risen to the level that tvOS developers have noticed it should be amongst those, and instead the default that would come with a new AppleTV or fresh install gets set instead. It should be like, a trivial change to one line of code.

Please Apple, smooth off this long-standing rough edge in the tvOS.

I spoke to an Apple tech person. They said that they are aware of the issue and are working on it. They think it may have something to do with it defaulting back to Aerial if/when AppleTV disconnects from icloud. Either way, I guess we wait longer.

No change on TVOS 13.3.1. Going in and out of standby is fine, but a reboot causes the default screen saver again. Sorry guys.

So, did you report it at the link in the comment above? Only way we’ll get it changed!

The title i used was "Apple TV screensaver annoyance: switching away from my photos back to aerial." and i logged it as "Comment on the experience" for feedback type.

The latest update has apparently fixed it for me. It's been weeks since the last time it happened.

I am having versions of the same problem. Basically, screensaver reverts to aerial about once a day, and always after a software update. Makes me crazy. I love my AppleTV, but it's hard to recommend it to friends or family when you know they will be frustrated by this kind of thing.

Same thing here. It started right after the latest TV OS update 13.2. I'm also having those "ghost images" iOS 7 used to have, in which the app always shows the last opened image and then it actually opens. Apps seem slower to open too.

The issue continues on the latest update. I have tried fully resetting, restarting and resigning into iCloud etc. No fix. I am so over the aerial screensaver. We have had the photo slides for so long !! Bring it back apple !

Okay it's a drag but one "workaround" until something is done by you-know-who is to open the Photos App on your AppleTV, and do a rotating slide show (you can preset the transitions and the timeing) of a favorite album!! Go back to Microsoft??? I don't think so. Just sayin'

Maria Arapakis

I have this problem as well on both my 4th gen and 4K Apple TV. I've tried using home sharing and now iCloud photos and both TVs revert back to the aerial screensaver. Beyond annoyed. I've submitted my feedback as well.

This is getting really annoying. Surely somebody in Apple support is reading these - I get emails almost daily from someone else with the same complaint. I’ve logged the issue twice now with Apple and still no response. Terrible customer support for a widespread nuisance issue.

If you’re experiencing this issue log your complaint here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/appletv.html

I've been seeing the same thing - after a restart or update the screensaver reverts to aerial. And I find that I need to do a lot more restarts since getting this version of tvOS and Apple ... doesn't care? I told my wife that I would never switch to something like a Roku or Firestick because I wouldn't be able to have all of our great photos as a screensaver. But if it keeps getting harder to keep that setting, then there's suddenly less reason to buy an Apple box, especially given that you can now get an AppleTV app on some of those other boxes. They won't let me stream photos from my Mac to use as a screensaver, but at this point I can't say that my AppleTV does either. Unfortunately, given that Apple has ignored this problem for over six months, it's not likely that they will ever intentionally fix it.

i still have the problem despite the latest IOS. it keeps going back to the aerial screensaver everytime the TV box is restarted.