Release history
Every version of Vivid Walls that has shipped on the Mac App Store, newest first, and what was actually in it.
Current version: 1.2.4, released August 29, 2026. Thirteen versions have shipped since the app went on sale on April 15, 2026, and six of those shipped in August 2026 alone. If you landed here from a forum thread wondering whether this app is still maintained, that is the answer, and you do not have to take it from us: the App Store listing shows the current version and its date, and Version History in the App Store app shows the rest.
What the app does now that it could not at launch
The version list further down is the record. This is the short version of what changed in it, because a list of numbers does not tell you much on its own.
- Scenes react to your music. Audio reactive wallpapers respond to whatever the Mac is playing, from any app, using a more reliable system audio capture than the first attempt. Added in 1.2.0.
- Live album art. Wallpapers with a media widget show the artwork of whatever is playing, from Spotify, Apple Music or a browser. Added in 1.2.0.
- Nine languages. The app interface is translated into English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, and follows the language you have set in macOS. Added in 1.2.3.
- A rebuilt rendering engine. Scene wallpapers render natively on Apple Silicon. This was 1.1.0 and it is the largest single change the app has had.
- Creator options, in English. The wallpaper properties panel exposes the options a scene's creator built in, laid out the way Wallpaper Engine lays them out, with automatic English translation of option labels that were written in another language. Added in 1.1.0.
- A library you can actually navigate. Right click to apply, favorite or delete, a badge showing which wallpaper is live on each display, and full keyboard navigation and VoiceOver support. Added in 1.2.2.
- Lock screen export you can rely on. Exported wallpapers appear in System Settings without the intermittent failures they used to have. Improved in 1.2.3 and again in 1.2.4.
Every release
Newest first. Each entry is what was published with that version on the App Store, condensed to the parts a person would notice.
- Lock screen fixes.
- Fewer macOS permission requests.
- Rendering accuracy improvements for scene wallpapers.
- Now localized into nine languages.
- A mute button, and the volume control now appears only for wallpapers that actually have audio.
- Lock screen export is far more reliable. Exports no longer fail intermittently, and new wallpapers show up in System Settings immediately.
- Rendering accuracy improvements for scene wallpapers, including composition layers and bloom.
- Search and filters show clear, specific empty states, so you always know whether there are no results, no favorites, or an empty playlist.
- A badge shows at a glance which wallpaper is live on each display.
- Right click any wallpaper to apply it, add it to favorites, or delete it.
- Full keyboard navigation and VoiceOver support throughout the library.
- A Help menu, and clearer messages when something needs your attention.
- Media widget corrections.
- Steadier behaviour when applying and removing wallpapers.
- Rendering improvements for scene wallpapers.
- Improved audio visualization. Audio reactive wallpapers now use a more reliable system audio capture.
- Now Playing artwork. Media widgets can show live album art from Spotify and other players.
- Many rendering accuracy improvements for scene wallpapers.
- An all new native Metal scene engine. Scene wallpapers render natively on Apple Silicon with better performance and battery life.
- A wallpaper properties panel with the creator's own options, laid out the way Wallpaper Engine lays them out, with automatic English translation.
- Per wallpaper volume control for scene wallpapers that have audio.
- Cursor following effects now track correctly.
- Import your Wallpaper Engine library from a PC over your own local network.
- Wallpapers pause automatically when covered by other apps, which took typical CPU usage under one percent.
- The app adapts to Low Power Mode and display sleep.
- Lock screen wallpapers play reliably across multiple locks.
- The menu bar tint matches the live wallpaper the moment you apply it.
- Wallpapers keep running in the background when you close the window. Quitting for real is done from the menu bar icon.
- Exported lock screen wallpapers appear in System Settings under a Vivid Walls category, including on sandboxed installs.
- Higher resolution preview thumbnails for newly imported wallpapers.
- Stability work on launch and on apply, in the first weeks after release.
- Scene wallpapers on macOS, rendered on Apple Silicon.
- The free Windows Companion, which transfers a Wallpaper Engine library across your own network.
- Per wallpaper settings, battery aware behaviour, and a wallpaper per display.
- One time purchase, no subscription.
About the gap between May and August
It is the most obvious thing on this page, so it is worth answering rather than leaving you to guess. Nothing shipped between 1.0.10 in May and 1.1.0 in August because the rendering engine was being rebuilt, and a half rebuilt renderer is not something to put in front of people. 1.1.0 is that work. Everything since has been at a much shorter interval: six releases in August alone.
Checking this yourself
None of the above needs to be taken on trust. The App Store listing shows the current version and the date it was released. In the App Store app on a Mac, the listing also has a Version History link that shows the notes published with each earlier version. This page is the same information, gathered in one place and readable without opening the App Store.
Common questions
Is Vivid Walls still being updated?
Yes. Thirteen versions have shipped since the app went on sale on April 15, 2026, six of them in August 2026, and the current version is 1.2.4 from August 29, 2026.
Do updates cost anything?
No. Vivid Walls is free to download, and the $9.99 full library unlock is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Every version on this page was a free update for anyone who already had the app.
Which version am I running?
Open the App Store app on your Mac and go to Updates. It shows the version you have installed and offers the newer one if there is one. If automatic updates are on in System Settings, this happens without you.
What do I need to run the current version?
macOS 14.0 or later and an Apple Silicon Mac, meaning an M1 chip or later. Intel Macs are not supported. There is a longer explanation of where that line falls in live wallpapers on an M1 Mac.
Something does not render correctly. Where does that go?
Email support@vividwalls.app with the Workshop link for the scene. The Workshop is enormous and not every scene in it renders perfectly yet. Reported scenes are what the rendering accuracy lines in these release notes usually are.
Keep reading
- Wallpaper Engine on Mac → What runs, what does not, and how the library transfer works.
- All Mac live wallpaper apps compared → Every option we know of, including the free ones.
- The eight wallpapers included with the app → With video of each one, if you do not have a Windows PC.
- The guide → Setup, transfers and per display assignment, start to finish.