---
title: "sylvan.apple.com: why aerial wallpapers download so much, and what breaks if you block it · Kilobat"
url: "https://kilobat.app/hosts/sylvan-apple-com"
description: "sylvan.apple.com serves Apple's aerial screen savers and wallpapers. Why it can download a lot, and what breaks if you block it."
---

Updates and downloads

# sylvan.apple.com

`sylvan.apple.com` serves Apple's Aerial screen savers and wallpapers. Apple lists it for tvOS and macOS, on ports 80 and 443.

Run by Apple · Ports: 80 and 443 TCP · Checked: 1 November 2026

## Short answer

Apple's host for Aerial screen savers and wallpapers on tvOS and macOS.

Safe to block

Safe to block. Aerial screen savers and wallpapers that aren't downloaded yet won't download. Pick a still wallpaper to avoid the downloads.

Matches

`sylvan.apple.com`

A name with `*.` covers every name under it: `*.push.apple.com` matches `1-courier.push.apple.com`.

## What it serves

Apple's enterprise host list names `sylvan.apple.com` in its Apps and additional content section, for “Aerial screen savers and wallpaper”.

Aerial screen savers and wallpapers are video. Downloading one is larger than a still image.

Apple doesn't say which process downloads them, or how many download on their own.

## What breaks if you block it

Safe to block

Safe to block. Aerial screen savers and wallpapers that aren't downloaded yet won't download. Pick a still wallpaper to avoid the downloads.

What breaks if you block it

- Aerial screen savers and wallpapers that aren't on the Mac yet can't download.

With Kilobat Pro and the network filter, you can block a host for every app or for one app: in Connections, select a connection and choose Block. Apple’s own services are never blocked by Kilobat’s [Protection](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#protection) lists.

## Notes

To avoid the downloads, choose a picture or a colour in System Settings › Wallpaper and Screen Saver instead of an aerial.

## Apple’s rules for its hosts

Apple’s list, [Use Apple products on enterprise networks](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101555), says that devices open these connections, not Apple’s servers. Apple services fail any connection that uses HTTPS interception, so a proxy that inspects TLS should leave Apple’s hosts alone.

If a firewall allows hosts by name, allowing `*.apple.com` covers most Apple services, Apple says. A firewall that works only with addresses can allow `17.0.0.0/8` for IPv4, and `2403:300::/32`, `2620:149::/32` and `2a01:b740::/32` for IPv6.

To see which app on your Mac opened a connection to this host, use Kilobat’s Connections tab, or the [agent network log](https://kilobat.app/docs/agents#agent-network-log) for AI agents.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Use Apple products on enterprise networks](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101555)

Checked on 1 November 2026.

## Related

- [Mac uses Personal Hotspot data in the background](https://kilobat.app/guides/hotspot-background-data)