iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 Introduce Support for AirPlay 2

[MacRumors]

The new developer betas of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 introduce AirPlay 2 features, allowing for multi-room music playback on Apple TVs using your iPhone.

With iOS 11.3 installed on an iOS device and tvOS 11.3 installed on one or more fourth or fifth-generation Apple TVs, you can use AirPlay 2 to stream music to multiple devices at the same time.

For example, with two Apple TVs running tvOS 11.3 set up in different rooms in the house, you can use the iPhone to play the same song on both, successfully using the multi-room audio feature of AirPlay 2.

Installing tvOS 11.3 prompts you to add your Apple TV to your HomeKit setup, and you'll be asked to choose a room for it during the setup process. After that's done, the Apple TV is displayed as an available device in the Home app. You can't do much with Apple TV in the Home app, but you can play and pause music.

Announced as part of iOS 11 back in June when the operating system was first introduced, AirPlay 2 introduces features like multi-room audio playback from iOS devices and improved buffering.

AirPlay 2 functionality is limited to devices running the current iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 developer betas, so it basically only works with the Apple TV right now. AirPlay 2 has not yet officially been released by Apple, but in the future, third-party speakers and Apple's own HomePod will support the feature. When AirPlay 2 compatible devices are widely available, you will be able to use AirPlay 2 to control all of the different speakers and devices located throughout your home, for a full multi-room audio experience.

HomePod, which will be available starting on February 9, will not ship with multi-room audio support. It's possible multi-room HomePod playback will be available once iOS 11.3 launches to the public, however, as iOS 11.3 is not set to be released until the spring.

Apple hasn't provided specific details on when the HomePod will be updated with multi-room support beyond stating that it will come in a later update, and AirPlay 2 was missing from the detailed rundown of iOS 11.3 features that Apple shared this morning ahead of the beta's release, so Apple's plans aren't quite clear.

At the current time, AirPlay 2 on iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 is rather buggy and the implementation is clearly incomplete, but Apple will likely make significant improvements over the iOS 11.3 beta testing period.

Article Link: iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 Introduce Support for AirPlay 2

 

[asdavis10]

Apple clearly reads the comments on MR.

 

[DisNerd]

And a firmware update for airport express? Please?

 

[BWhaler]

So how far behind is iOS 12 given Apple is still finishing iOS 11 features?

Or will it be a Bug Fixing year? (And hopefully a real one, as the big this year are brutal.)

 

[Slix]

Other than the queuing songs feature and the “improved buffereing”, what different is this from playing music through multiple AirPlay speakers with iTunes? Been doing that for over 10 years.

 

[DisNerd]

Other than the queuing songs feature and the “improved buffereing”, what different is this from playing music through multiple AirPlay speakers with iTunes? Been doing that for over 10 years.

You ever done it from iOS? Me neither.

 

[Slix]

You ever done it from iOS? Me neither.

Nope. But my point is, if my iMac from 2001 can do this, why couldn’t iOS after all these years? Seems silly to wait for HomePod.

 

[ErikGrim]

According to Viticci, there’s some lag.
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And a firmware update for airport express? Please?

I would love for this to happen, don’t see it ever coming however.

 

[djlythium]

So how far behind is iOS 12 given Apple is still finishing iOS 11 features?

Or will it be a Bug Fixing year? (And hopefully a real one, as the big this year are brutal.)

Honestly, I’d be happy if they kept pushing out bug fixes for the next 1.5 years, then introduced iOS 12 in 2019.

I’d like to see Apple go to a biannual OS refresh.

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

Does this finally mean if I have a new Apple TV I can say “hey Siri play music in the living room” and it will do so? Or even more complicated “hey Siri shuffle my playlist in the living room.” Currently I have an Apple TV and an airport express handling my speakers. It would be nice to be able to control music when my hands aren’t free. Although I don’t think it will ever happen with the express

 

[mgauss7]

Apple clearly reads the comments on MR.

I wanna mirror an iPad onto another one, in the same room for like 2spouses, and in different cities with WiFi for learning and entertainment.

 

[Tech198]

Apples response to Mesh from Sono's perhaps? Could be.

 

[Mac 128]

With such a big release, I'm guessing there won't be any other efforts to add auto resolution matching the the previous auto format match updates.

 

[benji888]

Honestly, I’d be happy if they kept pushing out bug fixes for the next 1.5 years, then introduced iOS 12 in 2019.

I’d like to see Apple go to a biannual OS refresh.

I recall Tim Cook saying they would not release products until they are ready some years ago...not long after that and we have been on yearly cycles instead. (Granted, they delayed HomePod rather than get it out half arsed in December as announced...however, it's coming without all the features at launch, maybe they should delay it longer.)

I would prefer they do what he said they would do and wait until it's ready, but, instead they compromise by maintaining a hard holiday season schedule.

I heard someone say on a Vector podcast, and this is taken out of context of a conversation about bugs and fixes, but...


There’s a pretty famous triangle of... here are three options, choose two:

Quality
Features
Schedule

hard deadlines = less quality or features.


macOS used to come out with 10.x releases when they were ready, not on a hard schedule, and it was higher quality, IMO.

— Maybe a better option would be, rather than completely messing with the UI once a year, just announce that these features will be rolling out within about so many months, keep doing .x updates for new features and give the UI a refresh about every 18 months - 2 years. For one thing, we have to change how we use these things...I'm so tired of them messing with the keyboard layout on iPhone & iPad, stop it already, jeez!

And buck all what the competition is doing, they try to keep up and then you have galaxy 7 (or whatever 7 it was) launch failure anyway.

 

[ipedro]

I hope that you’ll be able to add an AppleTV to automations.

Examples:
- good night scene turns off the TVs in the house
- arriving home, turns on the tv and starts an Apple Music playlist.
- wake up to the news.

 

[ErikGrim]

I hope that you’ll be able to add an AppleTV to automations.

Examples:
- good night scene turns off the TVs in the house
- arriving home, turns on the tv and starts an Apple Music playlist.
- wake up to the news.

All of this please.

 

[McTool]

I don’t see my TV in the HomeKit app and all are on 11.3.
Tips anyone.
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All of this please.

Well I do that with an Elgato smart switch. Soundbar and TV are hooked on the Elgato.
‘He Siri, put on TV’ and it works.
When I say goodnight everything goes off. Lights and tv.

 

[profets]

Cool to see TV getting more connected to the Home app and AirPlay 2.

I use Siri quite frequently. One thing I always find myself wanting to do is turn a certain Apple TV on or off. I hope we get this at one point.

 

[joemolomo]

anyone know if using Apple TV is still affected by the audio latency added to the signal by the tv itself, I could never sync music using iTunes to apple tv and airport express, as my Samsung tv would always add a few hundred ms of delay. Does airplay 2 have some clever listening latency compensation?

 

[Rookie42]

I hope that you’ll be able to add an AppleTV to automations.

Examples:
- good night scene turns off the TVs in the house
- arriving home, turns on the tv and starts an Apple Music playlist.
- wake up to the news.

Agreed!
Plus... turning on ATV dims the lights in the room where the ATV sits (or engages a user defined scene)

 

[ChrisCW11]

Why do I want to play the same song on multiple TV's with ****** speakers?

I am sure this is mostly released and needed for HomePod for multi-room audio, but this is why Apple boggles me because something called an Apple "TV" product should do "TV" things well, and not stick on features for it to be used as a mediocre audio gateway. I mean I can buy two ChromeCast Audio's to get multi-room audio for about 1/4 the price of a new Apple TV, and 1/8 the price of TWO of them, and Google already supported multi-room audio over WiFi a year ago.

Obviously the real benefit that would make AirPlay 2 work well for Apple TV would be to use with wireless speakers for easier surround sound setup but to rush this feature to market so people can play a song on multiple TV's is silly.

 

[vipergts2207]

Why do I want to play the same song on multiple TV's with ****** speakers?

I am sure this is mostly released and needed for HomePod for multi-room audio, but this is why Apple boggles me because something called an Apple "TV" product should do "TV" things well, and not stick on features for it to be used as a mediocre audio gateway. I mean I can buy two ChromeCast Audio's to get multi-room audio for about 1/4 the price of a new Apple TV, and 1/8 the price of TWO of them, and Google already supported multi-room audio over WiFi a year ago.

Obviously the real benefit that would make AirPlay 2 work well for Apple TV would be to use with wireless speakers for easier surround sound setup but to rush this feature to market so people can play a song on multiple TV's is silly.

You realize not everyone uses garbage TV speakers or sound bars with their ATV's right? My ATV is hooked up to my entertainment center with a several thousand dollar surround sound setup. As soon as Apple gets their act together and finally releases AirPlay 2 (I don't do betas), I'm going to add a set of bookshelves and maybe a sub to the bedroom TV so that I can get a start on multi-room audio. Many people are looking forward to AirPlay 2 on the ATV because they have the equipment to take advantage of it.

 

[scottlitch]

anyone know if using Apple TV is still affected by the audio latency added to the signal by the tv itself, I could never sync music using iTunes to apple tv and airport express, as my Samsung tv would always add a few hundred ms of delay. Does airplay 2 have some clever listening latency compensation?

This. With my Apple TV 3 I had an optical cable run directly to my Bose receiver, which had no latency. Now that we are forced to do audio over HDMI with the ATV4 and ATV4K, since they removed the optical port, there is a lag which causes an echo effect with the nearby speakers.

 

[Wilburx3]

This. With my Apple TV 3 I had an optical cable run directly to my Bose receiver, which had no latency. Now that we are forced to do audio over HDMI with the ATV4 and ATV4K, since they removed the optical port, there is a lag which causes an echo effect with the nearby speakers.

The only fix for the lag issue that I have found is Airfoil.

 

[gsmornot]

Any of you using the beta also use automations for HomeKit devices? I have done betas in the past that made my other HomeKit devices unreliable.