Apple's AirPlay comes to Android in new flagship HTC 10

Posted:
in General Discussion
HTC on Tuesday unveiled the HTC 10, its latest flagship smartphone, with an unusual feature in the form of native support for Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming protocol.




Owners will be able to stream audio to the Apple TV and other AirPlay-enabled devices, but it's unclear if video streaming will be supported, Engadget reported. Third-party Android apps have enabled AirPlay streaming for some time, but HTC appears to be the first Android device maker to have licensed the technology as a default feature.

Android devices are normally limited to using Google's Cast technology if they want to push high-quality audio or video. The Cast format is more broadly supported than AirPlay, both in terms of hardware and software, but doesn't work with the Apple TV, or AirPlay-compatible speakers.

The HTC 10 features a 5.2-inch quad-HD display, an all-metal shell, and high-performance specifications, such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4 gigabytes of RAM. It also comes with 32 gigabytes of default storage, a MicroSD slot, and a USB-C port. The device moreover has a 3,000 milliamp-hour battery, which should last up to two days thanks to hardware and software optimization.

Some other features include 24-bit audio, and a 12-megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus and a dual-LED flash. The phone should ship next month for $699, though preorders are available starting today.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Sounds impressive, but will it sell? 
  • Reply 2 of 25
    Sounds impressive, but will it sell? 
    Naw... the big question is will it blend!
    dasanman69
  • Reply 3 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Sounds impressive, but will it sell? 
    Naw... the big question is will it blend!
    I'd bet that more will blend than sell.  :D
    brakken
  • Reply 4 of 25
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    This is a better looking phone than the S7.
    crosslad
  • Reply 5 of 25
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    So, if airplay the news, why go on on specs like a spec jockey.
    Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.

    Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
    phone-ui-guy
  • Reply 6 of 25
    staticx57staticx57 Posts: 405member
    foggyhill said:
    So, if airplay the news, why go on on specs like a spec jockey.
    Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.

    Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
    HTC has been an Apple Licensee for years now.
    disneylandmansupadav03rhinotuffjony0boopthesnootmejsriccali
  • Reply 7 of 25
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    For iphone users, this is no news. For, android users, besides airplay this phone(decent all around spec) could be desirable upgrade than Samsung or LG or whatever other crap sold.
    crosslad
  • Reply 8 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    foggyhill said:
    So, if airplay the news, why go on on specs like a spec jockey.
    Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.

    Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
    There is a licensing agreement between Apple, and HTC whose specifics are not known. 
    supadav03rhinotuffboopthesnoot
  • Reply 9 of 25
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member

    Third-party Android apps have enabled AirPlay streaming for some time, but HTC appears to be the first Android device maker to have licensed the technology as a default feature.
    Are you sure it is licensed? Seems like a hack. There are some very specific rules for authentication tokens, encryption keys and vectors needed for Airplay.

    developer.apple.com
    Using AirPlay with encrypted streaming content is supported only in iOS 5.0 and later.
    cali
  • Reply 10 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    volcan said:

    Third-party Android apps have enabled AirPlay streaming for some time, but HTC appears to be the first Android device maker to have licensed the technology as a default feature.
    Are you sure it is licensed? Seems like a hack. There are some very specific rules for authentication tokens, encryption keys and vectors needed for Airplay.

    developer.apple.com
    Using AirPlay with encrypted streaming content is supported only in iOS 5.0 and later.
    I don't think HTC is in a position to violate Apple in that manner. It's well known that there's a licensing agreement between the two. 
    supadav03rhinotuffjony0chia
  • Reply 11 of 25
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    staticx57 said:
    foggyhill said:
    So, if airplay the news, why go on on specs like a spec jockey.
    Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.

    Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
    HTC has been an Apple Licensee for years now.
    Really, please post me a HTC link then; should be easy. Otherwise I'll think you're talking crap.
    edited April 2016
  • Reply 12 of 25
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    foggyhill said:
    So, if airplay the news, why go on on specs like a spec jockey.
    Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.

    Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
    There is a licensing agreement between Apple, and HTC whose specifics are not known. 
    Wow, another vacuous statement. I bet not, especially for phones.
  • Reply 13 of 25
    saltyzipsaltyzip Posts: 193member
    Sounds impressive, but will it sell? 
    Going to give the S7 a run for its money without doubt. Hope it does well for HTC, their flagship phones have always been well made. The Android boys are really threatening Apples nip and tuck changes philosophy, this HTC 10 has all the bases covered to be the best phone on the planet.

    The key difference between HTC 10 and S7 is the adoptable storage support for the former. Marshmallow allows SD cards to extend internal storage as if it was inbuilt, but it does need app support to work correctly.
  • Reply 14 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    foggyhill said:
    There is a licensing agreement between Apple, and HTC whose specifics are not known. 
    Wow, another vacuous statement. I bet not, especially for phones.
    Do s search right here on AI for the article. I'd post a link but it's virtually impossible to do on the mobile version. 
  • Reply 15 of 25
    supadav03supadav03 Posts: 503member
    foggyhill said:
    staticx57 said:
    HTC has been an Apple Licensee for years now.
    Really, please post me a HTC link then; should be easy. Otherwise I'll think you're talking crap.
    Relax, It's licensed:

    AirPlay is one of the options in HTC Connect, which can be accessed quickly with a three-finger swipe. HTC said its AirPlay license allows the 10 to stream audio to AirPlay-connected speakers. Apple hasn't said if other Android phone makers plan to offer similar functionality.

    http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=17530


    dasanman69rhinotuff
  • Reply 16 of 25
    staticx57staticx57 Posts: 405member
    foggyhill said:
    staticx57 said:
    HTC has been an Apple Licensee for years now.
    Really, please post me a HTC link then; should be easy. Otherwise I'll think you're talking crap.
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/11/10/apple-and-htc-settle-all-patent-litigation-agree-to-10-year-licensing-deal
    supadav03dasanman69chiacnocbui
  • Reply 17 of 25
    foggyhill said:
    staticx57 said:
    HTC has been an Apple Licensee for years now.
    Really, please post me a HTC link then; should be easy. Otherwise I'll think you're talking crap.

    Link to what? That Apple and HTC settled their lawsuits and have cross licensed patents? That's well known.

    Or a link to something specifically regarding Airplay? Since the HTC 10 was literally just announced, there's little. However, a spokesman for HTC, when asked about Airplay stated "We are platform agnostic." He also stated if Apple made Apple Pay available they'd use that as well (same for Samsung Pay). This implies that Apple DID in fact allow them to use Airplay.

    I highly doubt HTC put Airplay in their new phone without taking a license from Apple. This isn't copying something vague like the design or shape of your phone.
    dasanman69rhinotuffstaticx57chiaSteve_Ccali
  • Reply 18 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    foggyhill said:
    There is a licensing agreement between Apple, and HTC whose specifics are not known. 
    Wow, another vacuous statement. I bet not, especially for phones.
    Looks like you lost that bet. 
    curt12rhinotuffchiaSteve_Ccnocbuicali
  • Reply 19 of 25
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    foggyhill said:
    Wow, another vacuous statement. I bet not, especially for phones.
    Looks like you lost that bet. 
    Doesn't matter ,I'm still up a million galactic credit on you anyway. Yes, I do have some humor in me.
    supadav03
  • Reply 20 of 25
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    foggyhill said:
    Looks like you lost that bet. 
    Doesn't matter ,I'm still up a million galactic credit on you anyway. Yes, I do have some humor in me.
    A million galactic credits already? How did you achieve that with under 2300 posts?  :D
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