macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Saver issues

Question

XMI OP

Created Jun ’25

Replies 5

Boosts 0

Participants 2

Noticing a few issues with Screen Savers in macOS Tahoe developer beta 1 :

The command

open x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.ScreenSaver-Settings.extension

no longer works to open the Screen Savers preference pane. The reason? There is no longer a Screen Saver preference pane - it still exists, but it's now a Modal dialog (that can not be resized) that is opened from within the Wallpaper preference pane, by clicking a button.

Something funny is happening with legacyScreensaver - I think that

ScreenSaverView.Init(frame:isPreview)

may be passing wrong values, e.g. the isPreview boolean is false in Preview mode?

I've submitted Feedback # FB17895600 about some of these, and will report back more as I figure things out.

Please feel free to add to this thread, thanks!

Answered by DTS Engineer in 843065022

Thanks for testing this stuff immediately and then filing those bugs. Screen savers are such a niche thing that it’s critical to get this issues noted early in the beta cycle.

If you encounter any other issues, please post the bug numbers here so that they’re on my radar (so to speak).

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

Boost

Answer 1

XMI OP

Jun ’25

Another issue:

WKWebView-based screensaver doesn't display on 2nd monitor (legacyScreenSaver) in Tahoe

Submitted as # FB17938870

0

Answer 2

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

Jun ’25

Recommended

Thanks for testing this stuff immediately and then filing those bugs. Screen savers are such a niche thing that it’s critical to get this issues noted early in the beta cycle.

If you encounter any other issues, please post the bug numbers here so that they’re on my radar (so to speak).

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

1

Answer 3

XMI OP

1w

Testing using Beta 3, I've figured out one of the issues:

In macOS Tahoe, when you are viewing the Screen Savers dialog (from inside Wallpaper), using legacyScreenSaver, the system is incorrectly launching 2 copies - one at fullscreen on the main screen, and then a second (correct) instance which is in Preview mode.

Reported as FB18697726

0

Answer 4

XMI OP

1w

I have also submitted a case regarding the regressions in UI/UX for screensavers:

Tahoe has redesigned the UI for System Settings to remove the Screen Saver pane altogether. Instead, you access Screen Savers from within the Wallpaper settings.

This has the following issues:

Confusion - macOS has emphasized the importance of Screen Saves in recent years, and users expect to have a Screen Saver pane
Usability - although you can access the Screen Savers settings, it’s now hidden behind a button within the Wallpaper settings, and the resulting window runs as a very small modal non-resizable dialog. Since macOS ships with dozens of screensavers by default, forcing the user to navigate these in a tiny window is just silly.
Backwards compatibility is broken. For example, the command

open x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.ScreenSaver-Settings.extension

No longer works in Tahoe.

FB18698083

0

Answer 5

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

1w

Reported as FB18697726

Ta!

I have also submitted a case regarding the regressions in UI/UX for screensavers … FB18698083

Isn’t that effectively a dup of FB17895600?

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

0