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Apple Releases Firmware Update for AirPort Express With AirPlay 2 Support

AirPort Express (and AppleTV) have always supported multi-room playback. Am I missing something, or hearing things every Saturday during chore time and I blast the music in every room?

Now I'm afraid to update lest this conveniently breaks functionality with my older Airport Expresses
 
This is very welcome news as I was using 4th gen Apple TVs for the same functionality I can get from my old airport expresses. Does anyone know how to add them to the home app?
[doublepost=1535486247][/doublepost]
nofunsir said:
AirPort Express (and AppleTV) have always supported multi-room playback. Am I missing something, or hearing things every Saturday during chore time and I blast the music in every room?
Click to expand...

While this is true, it was only through streaming your iTunes library off of a computer. This now allows you to do it right from your iOS devices. There’s some other functionality built into AirPlay 2 as well.
 
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THIS IS THE UPDATE IVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!! Between this and the remote app being upgraded my multi-room audio setup with airports has new life again. I was beginning to get worried I would need to replace it all with a different system but I just LOVE the dac in the airports. looks like ill get to keep them a while longer :)
 
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cgibson190 said:
Looks like this update applies to both the 2008 and 2012 models.
Click to expand...

It says "Firmware update 7.8 adds AirPlay 2 support to 802.11n AirPort Express base stations."

I have an "AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Generation)" and currently it says that I'm up-to-date with v7.6.9 in Airport Utility.

Has anyone had luck upgrading this "1st Generation" device to 7.8?
 
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Hey, I finally can continue to not using
mine for audio without being totally disappointed.

Tim has... Nah.
 
Lax608 said:
This is very welcome news as I was using 4th gen Apple TVs for the same functionality I can get from my old airport expresses. Does anyone know how to add them to the home app?
[doublepost=1535486247][/doublepost]

While this is true, it was only through streaming your iTunes library off of a computer. This now allows you to do it right from your iOS devices. There’s some other functionality built into AirPlay 2 as well.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a problem with iOS, not my routers. Does anyone know why it worked with iTunes (or mac sound output) and yet to get this to work with iOS, we have to bump AirPlay and AirPlay devices to some new spec???
 
PwrSuprUsr said:
I saw the google router the other day and thought to myself. Perhaps this might be a good reason apple might take another look at the router. https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi

I absolutely love my airport extreme and still is one of the best routers on the market IMO.
Click to expand...
I did too, it was kinda sad I had to let it go after I upgraded to gigabit Ethernet. Wished Apple made a gigabit extreme.
 
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Does anyone know if airplay 2 on the airport express supports streaming lossless files from your phone if you have iTunes Match? The Apple TV has an option for this (stream from cloud vs from device, from cloud is limited to 256kbps AAC). Thank you!
 
cgibson190 said:
As noted in one of the links from that page, the 2008 and 2012 models are generally lumped together as 802.11n, and the 2004 model is called original. Unless something has changed in Apple's support documentation.
Click to expand...

Right, so has anyone confirmed the update is ALSO for the 2008 802.11n AirPort Express?! If not, why does Apple's page not clarify this?!
 
npmacuser5 said:
Excuse my digression. Sonos was unable to get their top of the line PlayBar upgraded to Airplay2. Now we know, a marketing decision, as many of us thought.
Click to expand...

Grrrrr... and I blew my wad on a full on Sonos last December. Also Sonos does not support 7.1 or 7.2 with the Playbar.... even though I would buy more speakers and another sub today if it did.
 
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cgibson190 said:
As noted in one of the links from that page, the 2008 and 2012 models are generally lumped together as 802.11n, and the 2004 model is called original. Unless something has changed in Apple's support documentation.
Click to expand...

So. This means Thie 2008 Model Supports AirPlay 2 as well. Can anyone confirm?
 
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philfreo said:
It says "Firmware update 7.8 adds AirPlay 2 support to 802.11n AirPort Express base stations."

I have an "AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Generation)" and currently it says that I'm up-to-date with v7.6.9 in Airport Utility.

Has anyone had luck upgrading this "1st Generation" device to 7.8?
Click to expand...

Same. I have the 1st gen 802.11n/2008 release and there’s no firmware update for it at the moment. I’ve just ordered the last refurbished 2012 airport express from the Australian Apple store just in case :D
 
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PwrSuprUsr said:
I saw the google router the other day and thought to myself. Perhaps this might be a good reason apple might take another look at the router. https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi

I absolutely love my airport extreme and still is one of the best routers on the market IMO.
Click to expand...

I would love for Apple to create a mesh router. Maybe discontinuing the AirPort series was the first step in apple creating a good mesh router.
 
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