Snoopy Comes to Apple TV in Latest tvOS 18.2 Betas
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While new tvOS point releases usually don’t include many exciting new features, this week’s third beta of tvOS 18.2 adds one of the new screensavers we’ve been waiting for since Apple unveiled it at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
During that event, Apple showed off several new “Audio & Home” features, ranging from new AirPods Pro shake and nod gestures to support for robot vacuum cleaners in HomeKit. However, the Apple TV also got a fair bit of love, with a new InSight feature for Apple TV+ shows and the promise of several new screensavers.
Unfortunately, when tvOS 18.0 arrived in September, only one of those had materialized: a new Portraits screensaver that was essentially a full-screen expansion of the Portraits watch face in watchOS 8. The other two, Snoopy and TV and Movies, were listed as coming in “late 2024.”
When tvOS 18.1 came and went without any sign of the new screensavers, that suggested they’d likely appear in tvOS 18.2 since that’s expected to land in early December and will almost certainly be the latest tvOS update of the year. However, the first two betas showed no sign of either screensaver appearing. It wasn’t clear if they’d be coming in a later beta or if Apple would save them for the final release.
The good news is that today’s third developer beta of tvOS 18.2 brings at least one into the mix. Although we’re still waiting on Movies & TV Shows, the new Snoopy screensaver has arrived and appears to be ready to go.
Snoopy fans with an Apple Watch should already be familiar with the concept since the new screensavers follow the same principle as the Snoopy watch face. When the screensaver kicks in, you’ll be shown an animated clip of Snoopy, and sometimes Woodstock, up to their usual antics. So far, we’ve seen classic clips of Snoopy typing out the next Great American Novel, floating in space, or simply laying on his doghouse as the world floats by.
A different scene is shown each time the screensaver kicks in. However, these all seem to eventually transition to Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse.
The Snoopy screensaver is only available in the third tvOS 18.2 beta and later. It can be selected from the new screensaver picker, which can be found by swiping up on the Siri Remote while the screensaver is playing or from the usual spot in the Settings app. Unlike the other three screensavers, there are no configuration options for it right now. Note that the new screensavers are only available on the 2021 second-generation Apple TV 4K and newer models.
Like the Apple Watch face, the Snoopy screensaver undoubtedly stems from Apple’s longstanding partnership with the Peanuts franchise that began in 2019 with STEM content and expanded the following year to make Apple TV+ “the home for all things Peanuts.” The marquee screensaver that shows Snoopy floating in outer space is undoubtedly a now to Apple’s earliest Snoopy in Space series that kicked off the arrangement, but Apple has since breathed new life into Charlie Brown and Snoopy holiday specials, many of which have shone a spotlight on key characters.
Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for the third screensaver, TV and Movies, which promises to provide “stunning visuals” from popular Apple TV+ originals. It’s not entirely clear what form these will take, but from what Apple showed off earlier, it appears that they will primarily consist of scenic views, like space scenes from Foundation.
