Apple AirPlay was made so that Apple devices can quickly and easily share music, videos, documents, pictures, and other files. When you turn on AirPlay on your device, you can send the screen of your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac straight to your Apple TV or smart TV in real-time. AirPlay has a lot of promise, but not many people use it yet. Part of the reason is that not many people know what it can do. This guide will tell you more about AirPlay and how to use it.
How Does AirPlay Work?
First, you should know that AirPlay is not Bluetooth, even though it can also send audio streams over a standard local network. While Bluetooth sends compressed audio streams, AirPlay keeps the original quality of the file. Also, Bluetooth only works up to 30 meters away, while AirPlay can reach as far as your Wi-Fi network. And lastly, Bluetooth can only talk to one device at a time, while AirPlay can send information to multiple receivers at once.
With all of these benefits, AirPlay is the best way to build a home entertainment system. There are some similar things, but you need special devices or expensive transmitters that work with AirPlay technology to stream from them. In short, Apple AirPlay makes it easy to look at pictures, watch movies, play your favorite games, or listen to music right from your TV or Mac.
How to Turn on AirPlay
First, you need to know what products can work with the AirPlay system:
With AirPlay, you can share from the following:
- iPad 2 and higher versions
- iPhone 4S and higher models
- iPod touch
- Mac or MacBook
- Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD
Devices to which you can broadcast using AirPlay:
- HomePod
- Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, and Apple TV second or third generation
- Speakers connected to the Audio Out port on AirPort Express or those that indicate that they work with Apple AirPlay
Devices from which you can broadcast audio using AirPlay 2:
- iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11.4 or later
- Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD with tvOS 11.4 or later2
- HomePod with iOS 11.4 or later
- Mac with iTunes 12.8 or later
Devices from which you can broadcast video using AirPlay 2:
- iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 12.2 or later
- Mac with macOS 10.14.5 or later
Devices to which you can broadcast using AirPlay 2:
- Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD with tvOS 11.4 or later
- HomePod with iOS 11.4 or later
- Speakers connected to the Audio Out port on AirPort Express 802.11n (second Generation) with the latest firmware update
- AirPlay 2-compatible smart TVs with the label “Works with Apple AirPlay”
- Speakers and receivers with the label “Works with Apple AirPlay”
Make sure that all of these devices are linked to the same Wi-Fi network before you turn on AirPlay on them. You can now move on to the next step.
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Set up AirPlay on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
If you want to stream music from one of your iOS devices, choose the file you want to listen to, then do the following:
-
- Open :
– On iPhone 8 or earlier or iOS 11 or earlier, swipe on the screen down up.
– On iPhone X or later or iPad with iOS 12 or later, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen.
- Press and hold the audio card to open it.
- Tap
. - Select the desired device (Apple TV, HomePod or audio system with AirPlay support).
.
If you want to stream video from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, complete the following steps:
-
- Within the Apple TV app on your iOS device, select a video and tap
on the bottom left corner.
- Within the Apple TV app on your iOS device, select a video and tap
on the bottom left corner.
With some apps, you will need to tap another icon first, like and then tap.
2. Choose AppleTV or a smart TV.
AirPlay also lets you mirror the screen of your iOS device. You can see the whole screen of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod on your Apple TV or smart TV by using this function. To make mirroring work, do the following:
-
- Open :
– On iPhone 8 or earlier or iOS 11 or earlier, swipe on the screen down up.
– On iPhone X or later or iPad with iOS 12 or later, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap
(AirPlay Mirroring on old iOS versions). - Choose a suitable Apple TV or smart TV for mirroring.
- Enter the AirPlay passcode on your iOS device if needed.
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How to AirPlay from Mac
Once the Mac knows what an Apple TV is, a special icon will show up in the Menu Bar. If AirPlay doesn’t show up, you can make it show up in Settings. To do this, go to System Preferences > Displays > Show mirroring options in the menu bar when accessible and click the checkbox.
If you want to broadcast audio from your Mac using AirPlay, you can choose one of the following options:
-
- Within your app, click at the top right corner, next to the volume slider. Then select an available device for playing music.
- Within your app, click
-
- Within , select → → select a device for playing audio. Enable to quickly switch between output audio sources.
If you want to stream video from your Mac, take the next steps:
- Open the website or launch an app from which you want to broadcast.
- Click
in the video playback controls and select the desired set-top box Apple TV or smart TV.
Thanks to AirPlay, you can mirror or extend your Mac display to your Apple TV or smart TV. For this, click 
in the menu bar → select the suitable device → enter the passcode on your Mac if needed.
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If AirPlay is Not Working
It’s possible that devices won’t link or that AirPlay won’t work right. Here are a few things that could cause this:
-
- The devices are connected to different Wi-Fi networks.
- The devices’ firmware is out-of-date. Actually, AirPlay started to work properly with the release of iOS 7. Update your system with the latest iPad or iPhone AirPlay version.
- The failover software has a hiccup. Restart the device, and all the wireless data features will be fully restored.
Streaming media content from one device to another makes it unnecessary to copy files on multiple devices, and as a result, saves time and space. If you use AirPlay, let us know about your experience in the comments below.
