Apple TV Just Got More Screen Savers, Here's How to Get Them on Your Mac

With the release of tvOS 15.2 earlier this week, Apple added nine new high-resolution screen savers to Apple TV HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, including three featuring Scotland's Isle of Skye and Loch Moidart, and six offering various views of Iceland's stunning landscapes.

scotland aerial screensaver e1639571845470

Traveling along the coast of the Isle of Skye, Scotland

‌Apple TV‌ downloads new screen savers on a regular basis depending on your ‌Apple TV‌ settings (daily, weekly, or monthly via Settings -> General -> Screen Saver -> Download New Video), so you may not see them immediately. But when you do, and if you like them, you'll be happy to learn that you can get them on your Mac, too.

Created by developer John Coates and maintained by Guillaume Louel, Aerial is a free and open source app for macOS 10.12 and later (including Monterey and Apple silicon) that lets you view the same high-quality ‌Apple TV‌ screen savers on your Mac.

The app periodically scrapes the screen savers from Apple's servers and lets you choose your favorite videos so that they play more often. So while it's not possible to choose a specific screensaver on ‌Apple TV‌ once it's downloaded, you can on your Mac, thanks to Aerial.

aerial
In addition, Aerial has some additional options, including the ability to filter video themes, overlay weather data, and adapt the videos that are played to the time of day, plus it offers an additional library of over 100 different videos.

The easiest way to get it on your Mac is to download the Aerial Companion from Coates' GitHub page, drag the app to your Applications folder, launch it, and then follow the quick setup process.

aerial app
You can choose whether updates should happen automatically in the background, or if you prefer to be notified. You can also pick whether you want an icon in the menu bar to notify you or not.

Aerial 2 also introduced Community Videos, including 20 screen savers donated at no charge by Joshua Michaels and Hal Bergman. And if you like the Aerial app, you can always buy the developers a coffee.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
Apple TV Plus Feature 2 Magenta and Blue

Apple TV+ Available at Significantly Lower Price Until Next Week

Friday April 18, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
Apple TV+ is currently available at a much lower price than usual, but time is running out if you want to take advantage of the offer. In the U.S., new and qualified returning customers can subscribe to Apple TV+ for just $2.99 per month, for three months. Afterwards, regular pricing of $9.99 per month applies. The offer is available in the Apple TV app, and at tv.apple.com, through April...

Top Rated Comments

cwizou Avatar
44 months ago
Guillaume here, thanks for the writeup.

If I may add, for new users, to get the new videos you need to pick "beta" during install when prompted. If you didn't, in Aerial Companion (in your menu bar, launch it again if you don't see it) open the menu and pick "Desired Version" and "Beta", then you'll get the latest videos.

I'm hoping to release next full update in a couple of weeks and this will no longer be necessary.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lloigorr Avatar
44 months ago
I’ve been using the Aerial screen saver for a few years now and it’s great! Really recommend it.


But keep in mind that the videos are in 4K resolution (you may set them at lower resolution though) and there is quite a number of those available. So the space used on your SSD may be rather huge (25GB on my drive, not every clip installed).
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dredlew Avatar
44 months ago
It’s a crying shame that this one guy can develop a vastly superior app than Apple can. Despite numerous feedback reports over the years, the AppleTV screensaver still sucks like there’s no tomorrow. I hate it!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timmyh Avatar
44 months ago

Yea, the app is amazing but it devours the drive heh.
The companion is really good for this. It has an option to limit the amount of storage space it uses to download videos, similar to that other great screensaver, Electric Sheep!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nvmls Avatar
44 months ago

I’ve been using the Aerial screen saver for a few years now and it’s great! Really recommend it.


But keep in mind that the videos are in 4K resolution (you may set them at lower resolution though) and there is quite a number of those available. So the space used on your SSD may be rather huge (25GB on my drive, not every clip installed).
Yea, the app is amazing but it devours the drive heh.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Morgenland Avatar
44 months ago
Thank you, Coates and MR.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)