#Apple airport express airplay 2 update#
#Apple airport express airplay 2 android#
#Apple airport express airplay 2 software#
#Apple airport express airplay 2 tv#

#Apple airport express airplay 2 tv#

The only way to play Dolby Atmos Music or soundtracks on your TV using Apple kit is through an Apple TV 4K connected to a TV via HDMI eARC. While screen mirroring via AirPlay is limited to 1080p, a 4K HDR video stored on the Photos app of an iPhone should be AirPlay-able to an Apple TV 4K streamer.ĭolby Atmos, however, cannot be passed through over AirPlay.

#Apple airport express airplay 2 update#

In other words, yes, AirPlay 2 does support lossless audio, but perhaps not for the use case you might want it to.Īpple is apparently working on an update to enable lossless over AirPlay (we are reaching out to Apple to confirm), so fingers crossed that this transpires and thus Apple’s lossless offering becomes validated. Apple Music’s Lossless streams supposedly convert from ALAC (Apple’s lossless codec) into AAC (Apple’s lossy codec) at a pretty lowly 256kbps when transmitted over AirPlay – and therefore not losslessly. However, the news isn't so good with regards to using AirPlay 2 to send lossless Apple Music streams.

#Apple airport express airplay 2 android#

You can't get AirPlay 2 on an Android device.Īs we have noted in our lossless audio explainer, the AirPlay 2 protocol supports lossless music (audio up to 24-bit/48kHz, in fact) so those with music files stored on their iOS device can send it over AirPlay to another device losslessly. One key thing about AirPlay 2 is that the music source (and control) is always an Apple product. While Siri is integrated into the HomePod, other speakers (such as the new Sonos Era speakers) rely on AirPlay 2's connection to your iOS device to speak to Siri. Other benefits of AirPlay 2 over AirPlay include improved audio buffering, integration with Siri voice control and multiple control access across iOS devices (a useful touch for multi-room streaming). This can be done in the Home app, which you’ll also need for any Apple smart home actions.Īfter that, simply access the Control Centre at any point on your iOS device to control which speakers are playing at any time, both individually and as a group. Much like with Sonos’s app, you can define where in your house the speaker is located, using labels such as ‘Bedroom’ or ‘Kitchen’ to identify them. We'll go into this more later, but really AirPlay 2 support among modern-day audio and even video devices is pretty universal.Īs long as all the devices are on the same wi-fi network (remember, AirPlay requires a wi-fi connection to work), you simply have to access the music controls on, say, your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, and select a connected speaker (or more than one) to send the music to. You can mix and match AirPlay 2-compatible speakers and audio system components from other brands to create a more versatile multi-room system. Originally launching alongside the original HomePod smart speaker (which has now finally been superseded by the HomePod 2), it was designed to let you set up two HomePods as a stereo pair (which we’d recommend) and pepper multiple HomePods around your home – all controlled by your iOS devices.īut it’s not restricted to Apple’s own ecosystem. The biggest advancement AirPlay 2 brought? Multi-room.ĪirPlay 2 marked Apple’s first real move into multi-room technology, finally letting you stream music from your iOS device to more than one product.

How does AirPlay 2 work?Īnd then in 2018 came a much-needed update to Apple’s own streaming protocol: AirPlay 2. As long as your Apple device and the AirPlay speaker are on the same wi-fi network, music can be streamed between the two at the tap of a button. Updates to AirPlay over the years have made the set-up process much simpler and quicker, and streaming is far more reliable. Those early products also didn’t have the most stable connection, so music would often drop out. During the early days of AirPlay, setting products up was a complicated, long-winded process that required an extra app – it was hardly seamless. Setting itself apart from Bluetooth, AirPlay uses your home’s wi-fi network to send content from one source (iPhone, iPod etc) to one compatible product (speaker, AV receiver, soundbar).

#Apple airport express airplay 2 software#

It was based on Apple’s ‘AirTunes’ software from 2004, which was predominantly used to stream audio from iTunes to AirPort Express, so you could wirelessly listen to music across your home network from your Apple device. Originally it was a way to stream audio, video and photos wirelessly to the Apple TV, but eventually this opened up to include dedicated audio products. The first iteration of AirPlay launched back in 2010 as part of iOS 4 (around the time of the iPhone 4).