Music in Art Mode, Apple TV, Alexa and Chromecast with a Samsung Frame TV

Updated September 17, 2026

Art Mode is a display state, not an input, which is why connected devices behave oddly with it: HDMI audio is muted, HDMI-CEC commands can knock the TV out of art, and streaming boxes have their own screensavers competing with Samsung’s. Here is how each common device works with the Frame.

Playing music in Art Mode

HDMI sources are silent in Art Mode – the TV treats the input as off. Options:

1. Bluetooth audio input (2022 and later). Settings → Sound → Sound Output (or Bluetooth Speaker List) → enable the TV as a Bluetooth speaker, then pair your phone and play music. On many units this continues while Art Mode is displayed; on some firmware, entering Art Mode ends the audio. Try it – it costs nothing.
2. SmartThings music features. Some model years have offered background music options in the SmartThings Art Mode screen; availability has changed between firmware versions, so check your TV’s Art Mode home for a music or sound option.
3. A soundbar or speaker with its own input. Play from your phone to the soundbar over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (Sonos, HEOS, etc.) while the Frame shows art. This is the dependable route and the one most owners settle on.
4. Ambient sound: not available in Art Mode on the Frame (Ambient Mode on other Samsung TVs had it).

Apple TV and the Frame

Apple TV and Art Mode are a good combination once HDMI-CEC is tamed:

• Problem: when the Apple TV sleeps, it sends a CEC standby command. Depending on firmware the Frame goes to Art Mode (fine) or fully off (not fine). Waking the Apple TV can also switch the Frame out of Art Mode unexpectedly.
• Fix, option A (recommended): on the Apple TV, Settings → Remotes and Devices → Control TVs and Receivers → Off. Use the Samsung remote’s Power to enter Art Mode; the Apple TV sleeps on its own timer.
• Fix, option B: on the Frame, Settings → General → External Device Manager → Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) → Off. Also stops soundbars and consoles from waking the TV.
• Apple TV screensavers vs Art Mode: the aerial screensavers only show on the Apple TV input at full brightness; they are not Art Mode. If you want a photo album as art, upload it to My Collection (upload guide) rather than using the Apple TV Photos screensaver.
• AirPlay: you can AirPlay a photo to the Frame to show it temporarily; it is not saved to My Collection.

Chromecast and Google TV

Same CEC logic: turn off HDMI-CEC on either side if the Frame drops out of Art Mode when the Chromecast sleeps. Chromecast’s ambient mode is a TV-mode screensaver, not Art Mode; to use the same images as art, upload them to My Collection. Casting a photo works for a temporary display.

Alexa, Google Assistant and Bixby

• Alexa: link the SmartThings skill; “Alexa, turn off the TV” sends the Frame to Art Mode (or fully off, depending on your Art Mode setting). Alexa cannot pick artworks.
• Google Assistant: same via SmartThings.
• Bixby (on the TV remote): “Turn on Art Mode”, “Show my collection” and similar work on recent firmware.
• Alexa routines that power the TV off at night are a common hidden cause of art turning off on schedule – see keeps turning off.

Plex, Fire TV and other boxes

Plex has no Art Mode integration; photo libraries can be shown as a Plex slideshow in TV mode. Fire TV’s screensaver is likewise a TV-mode feature. For any of these, the rule is the same: Art Mode only shows Art Store pieces and My Collection; everything else is TV mode with the brightness up. Upload the images you want as art, and let the box handle video.