One of the best features of the Apple TV’s YouTube app is its robust collection of overhead screen savers. When your Apple TV sits idle for a few minutes, TV OS switches to these relaxing aerial videos while it waits for your return.
YouTube, however, thinks you’d rather see random slideshows of images and video thumbnails…
‘Apple TV’s YouTube App’
Joe Rosensteel has a good explanation of the situation in a blog post, writing:
Yesterday I had the YouTube app open on the Apple TV in my office. I went to do something else, and when I looked back, it wasn’t the Apple TV air screen saver, but a YouTube app “screen saver” with a slideshow of highly compressed still images.
The Apple TV in my living room had an older version of the YouTube app (presumably from April 2 if the dates in the version names are to be believed). That version didn’t try to override my screen saver like the one in my office.
Yes, the YouTube app hijacks your Apple TV screen saver with its interpretation of “screen saver.” As Joe explains, there are two different things you can see. If you don’t have a video paused, your screensaver will be a “slideshow of generic still images taken from videos.”
If you’re actively watching a video and pause it long enough for the YouTube app’s screensaver to activate, you’ll see “a slideshow of YouTube thumbnail art that zooms in and out, fades to black, and starts over.” new”.
It’s not ideal. A far cry from Apple’s beautiful airy screen protectors.
The question, of course, is what comes next. At this time, YouTube does not display ads or other promotional content on these screensavers. I’m guessing this will change, probably sooner rather than later, and the Apple TV’s YouTube App’s screensaver will display at least some sort of promotional message. YouTube has also made the same change on Android TV.
A solution
However, there is a simple workaround that can prevent the YouTube app from being able to successfully hijack your Apple TV’s YouTube App screen saver. The Apple TV’s YouTube App seems to start its screensaver after about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Go to the Settings app on your Apple TV
- Choose “General”
- Choose “Screen Saver”
- Choose “Start later”
- Select the “2 minutes” option
Doing this will ensure that the Apple TV’s beautiful default high-resolution screensavers start before YouTube has a chance to hijack your TV. For now at least.
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