Apple enables basic AirPlay 2 functionality in iOS 11.3, tvOS 11.3 betas
With Wednesday's release of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3, Apple is slowly rolling out support for AirPlay 2, a hotly anticipated wireless protocol that allows users to stream music to, and remotely control, multiple devices in different rooms.
As the new capability is only available on iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3, the supported device set is currently limited to Apple TV models capable of running tvOS. That means beta testers looking to try out the new feature will need at least two fourth-generation Apple TV, or Apple TV 4K, units and an iOS device as a controller.
With AirPlay 2, beta testers can simultaneously stream music from an iPhone or iPad to multiple Apple TV devices through the Home app. The Apple TV units can be in separate rooms, similar to multi-speaker solutions offered by OEMs like Sonos.
The current implementation does not appear to be a polished, finalized version of AirPlay 2, as only barebones remote control support is provided. Users can start and stop music streams on multiple Apple TV devices, which output sound through a connected television or speaker, but more advanced operations like track selection, shuttle controls and volume are not yet available.
Apple first announced AirPlay 2 at the Worldwide Developers Conference in 2017. The wireless standard builds on the original AirPlay with multi-room audio, HomeKit integration and other system-level improvements that allow users to listen to and control content throughout their house.
When it sees launch, AirPlay 2 will boast a collaborative "Up Next" feature for sharing playlists with friends.
Apple previously said that existing AirPlay-compatible devices can be updated to support AirPlay 2, but the company has provided little information beyond its initial announcement. Third-party speaker manufacturers, including Sonos, have pledged compatibility for AirPlay 2, though none have released products that support the standard.
At CES this year, AppleInsider discussed the issue with a number of speaker manufacturers, some of whom said Apple has yet to supply them with the software needed to implement the protocol. That could soon change with the release of iOS 11.3.
Interestingly, Apple's own HomePod, due for release on Feb. 9, will not support multi-room audio at launch. The delay could be related to the speaker's firmware, however, as stereo sound through HomePod pairing is also slated for release "later this year."
As the new capability is only available on iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3, the supported device set is currently limited to Apple TV models capable of running tvOS. That means beta testers looking to try out the new feature will need at least two fourth-generation Apple TV, or Apple TV 4K, units and an iOS device as a controller.
With AirPlay 2, beta testers can simultaneously stream music from an iPhone or iPad to multiple Apple TV devices through the Home app. The Apple TV units can be in separate rooms, similar to multi-speaker solutions offered by OEMs like Sonos.
The current implementation does not appear to be a polished, finalized version of AirPlay 2, as only barebones remote control support is provided. Users can start and stop music streams on multiple Apple TV devices, which output sound through a connected television or speaker, but more advanced operations like track selection, shuttle controls and volume are not yet available.
Apple first announced AirPlay 2 at the Worldwide Developers Conference in 2017. The wireless standard builds on the original AirPlay with multi-room audio, HomeKit integration and other system-level improvements that allow users to listen to and control content throughout their house.
When it sees launch, AirPlay 2 will boast a collaborative "Up Next" feature for sharing playlists with friends.
Apple previously said that existing AirPlay-compatible devices can be updated to support AirPlay 2, but the company has provided little information beyond its initial announcement. Third-party speaker manufacturers, including Sonos, have pledged compatibility for AirPlay 2, though none have released products that support the standard.
At CES this year, AppleInsider discussed the issue with a number of speaker manufacturers, some of whom said Apple has yet to supply them with the software needed to implement the protocol. That could soon change with the release of iOS 11.3.
Interestingly, Apple's own HomePod, due for release on Feb. 9, will not support multi-room audio at launch. The delay could be related to the speaker's firmware, however, as stereo sound through HomePod pairing is also slated for release "later this year."
Comments
I use my Apple TV more all the time. The UI on my 2016 Smart TV isn't nearly as fast or slick when pulling up the same app. The TV is literally now just a dumb monitor since Amazon Prime Video is available, with even the networking disabled its remote put away in a drawer somewhere since HDMI-CEC works perfectly.
Better to have a cheap seperate box to provide the apps, although Apple seem to have neglected the cheap bit.
I find this disturbing... While I understand that Apple has to get it's foot into this market before it gets left behind, it sounds like they are rushing out a half baked product. The whole home automation thing at Apple feels fragmented and uncoordinated -- and very UnAppleLike.
That said, I really like the potential that AirPlay 2 will be able to provide.
Fully-baked but doesn't come with the the variety of frosting flavors, sprinkles, or candles that you wanted from a mature product:
That second photo is what every new product category from Apple has been. The iPhone is an excellent example of this.
Would you rather Apple be like how Samsung sees fully baked? Gross
1. Will it support individual zone volume control (as MacOS does through iTunes), and
2. Will it support audio delay adjustment? (like Airfoil)
The second is really a desire to have that built into iOS and MacOS as part of AirPlay versus having to use/license another app. I have a multi-room audio set up that uses AirPlay compatible receivers and Airport Express boxes connected to a distribution amp. I can stream to multiple zones using iTunes, which works great except that due to the slight delay in different receivers the audio is out of sync in each of the zones. This causes weird echoes which is easy enough to solve using a slight delay adjustment.
Oh, right; no embedding…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CrbGXdaRB0