So yesterday I was gonna airplay a video to my ATV from my macbook. I pressed the airplay icon but nothing happened. I tried to restart quicktime to see if that would help but instead the airplay icon disappeared. It's also gone in the top bar next to the wifi icon. It doesn't work on my iPhone either anymore. What could of happened? I've tried to turn off and on airplay on ATV but it hasen't helped!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My Apple TV 4 airplay just stopped working outta nowhere...
- Thread starter NICKXXXXXX
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
With all the glitches on this, if I were gone my wife would unplug everything, throw it in the yard, pour gas on it and strike a match. I am constantly resetting and restarting things to keep it all working. Very frustrating. Basic functionality of devices should not have this many problems.
You need to download Bonjour Browser.
iCloud music sharing is in Music app, comes from Apple's cloud (Internet) and has nothing to do with AirPlay or Home Sharing.
iTunes Library (Home Sharing) you'll see in the Computers app.
PS - also worth checking - what IP addresses do your devices (Mac, iPhone, aTV) get?
By definition, AirPlay is limited to a single network segment. This means, all devices that you want to AirPlay, must be on same local network (segment).
This is what it looks for me. I don't have airplay there... Also they are all on the same network! Maybe worth mentioning is that the VLC remote app works...
Yeah :/ was working one day - I am on beta so I'm guessing it's down to that for me?
The simplest things to try
- hard reset (unplug the power cord) of aTV
- flush the DNS cache on Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202516
- and one more idea - have you checked all the open apps and closed all of them down? I am suggesting this, because IMHO iOS will reload all opened apps on every reboot (like OS X does). And the list of services your Bonjour Browser sees suggests, that aTV is at fault here. Some of it's services are announced, others are not.
- hard reset (unplug the power cord) of aTV
- flush the DNS cache on Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202516
- and one more idea - have you checked all the open apps and closed all of them down? I am suggesting this, because IMHO iOS will reload all opened apps on every reboot (like OS X does). And the list of services your Bonjour Browser sees suggests, that aTV is at fault here. Some of it's services are announced, others are not.
Last edited:
Nothing worked... I'm thinking about just returning it and getting a new one perhaps
I'm constantly dealing with the wife screaming about how 'THIS SYSTEM IS DOOKIE!', and 'APPLE SUCKS!'
One of her friends threw out three Apple TV's when they would 'flake out' repeatedly.
I find that I have to restart my Apple TV's every time I try to play anything on them. I'd say they are a joke, but if so, they are a really bad and expensive joke.
I'm not surprised something out of the blue just stops working. It's happened to me so many times. I even had an Apple TV 'brick' itself. Nothing I tried resuscitated it. And my iPhone... I won't get into that on this thread...
Being called an 'Apple fan boy' means I have a really high tolerance for shoddy software I guess. But I DO like the whole Apple TV concept. But after having six of them, including a temperamental gen 4, I'm seeing the benefit of the 'front yard, can of gas' solution. If only it weren't so dry here...
I'd try a restore via iTunes before that, but that's only me.
And I happen to have the USB-C cable to do that
PS What version of OS X are you at? Referring back to the DNS reset instructions above, it is vital to get discoveryd out of your system and be sure to run OS X that has mDNSResponder.
discoveryd effed-up many of the Bonjour thingas so badly, that Apple gave up and brought back the mDNSResponder.
PPS I understand you never used Home Sharing on your aTV?
Last edited:
I'm back, and again I'll say look at your router
I've been using airplay since it was called AirTunes. probably around 10 years or so.
In that time, all my airplay problems have been router related
if you're not using an apple router, I'd suggest googling your router model and airplay
also, as a test, you could try hardwiring the aTV to your router.
I've been using airplay since it was called AirTunes. probably around 10 years or so.
In that time, all my airplay problems have been router related
if you're not using an apple router, I'd suggest googling your router model and airplay
also, as a test, you could try hardwiring the aTV to your router.
That's another good advice!
I'd look into upgrading firmware on the router.
As to eliminate the router from the equation, one can also establish direct link between MacBook and aTV. Either wired or wireless (Create Network... in OS X Wi-Fi menu). If that solves the problem, it's your router.
Late aTV-s and Macs also support peer-to-peer AirPlay. That'd be the third option to run without your router inbetween.
I have the latest version of OS X. And i've never used home sharing. But what's so weird to me is that it just stopped working outta nowhere!? I never change any settings or anything on my computer so it wasn't that. I'm a very simple user.I'd try a restore via iTunes before that, but that's only me.
And I happen to have the USB-C cable to do that
PS What version of OS X are you at? Referring back to the DNS reset instructions above, it is vital to get discoveryd out of your system and be sure to run OS X that has mDNSResponder.
discoveryd effed-up many of the Bonjour thingas so badly, that Apple gave up and brought back the mDNSResponder.
PPS I understand you never used Home Sharing on your aTV?
What should I look at then? I rebooted it but it didn't help.
So what the peer to peer thing means is that i don't need internet to airplay? Well I have the latest ATV and the 2016 (latest) version of the RMB
For AirPlay internet is not needed. Never has been. Just the network connection between sender and receiver.
But my plan would be to create the most direct connection between your MBP and aTV and not have anything except piece of wire or wifi signal between the two. No other network equipment.
Ok so how do I do this? I understood the create network part but what then? Because I already have the wifi connection there. Also lets not forget the problem is not just with my mac. But with my iPhone as well. So it must be the ATV it's wrong with
to do that, click on the wifi icon in the menu bar on the mac
select "create network"
once you've created that network, go into settings on the aTV, and join the new network you just created.
and stating the obvious here, but unless you plug in an ethernet cable from your router to your mac, you won't have internet on your mac, so you will only be able to play files that are local on that mac.
select "create network"
once you've created that network, go into settings on the aTV, and join the new network you just created.
and stating the obvious here, but unless you plug in an ethernet cable from your router to your mac, you won't have internet on your mac, so you will only be able to play files that are local on that mac.
But that's not what I want to be able to do only... I'll just go and get a new one when I have time
The suggestions here are not meant as permanent solution. Just a troubleshooting plan to find the real culprit.