{"id":27993,"date":"2018-07-11T10:03:46","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T14:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/?p=27993"},"modified":"2018-07-11T10:03:46","modified_gmt":"2018-07-11T14:03:46","slug":"how-to-make-the-most-of-apples-new-airplay-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/how-to-make-the-most-of-apples-new-airplay-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make the Most of Apple\u2019s New AirPlay 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many years now, Apple\u2019s AirPlay feature has made it possible to stream audio from an iOS device or Mac to an AirPlay-enabled speaker, AirPort Express base station, or most recently, a HomePod. Because AirPlay transfers sound over a Wi-Fi network, it eliminates the need for stereo wires and lets you put your speakers where you want them.<\/p>\n

In June 2017, Apple threw back the curtains on AirPlay 2<\/a>, saying it would play the same song on multiple speakers (with AirPlay 1, this is possible only in iTunes) or play different songs on different speakers. Subsequently, Apple released the HomePod, promising to add multi-room audio and stereo sound with linked HomePods in the future.<\/p>\n

Apple recently released three updates\u2014iOS 11.4, tvOS 11.4, and HomePod 11.4\u2014with an eye toward delivering AirPlay 2 and these promised features. Once you\u2019ve installed these updates, here\u2019s how to start enjoying AirPlay 2\u2019s improvements.<\/p>\n

AirPlay 2 in iOS<\/h3>\n

To take advantage of the multi-room audio capabilities in iOS, start playing some audio. Then open Control Center, press the audio card to expand it, and tap the AirPlay\u00a0\"\"\u00a0button in the upper right. You see a list of available output devices; those that support AirPlay 2 have a circle to the right of the name. Tap one or more of those circles to send the audio to that speaker. If an app has its own AirPlay button, you can also tap that to access the same controls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The iPhone can\u2019t play audio simultaneously with an AirPlay 2 speaker, which is why there\u2019s no circle next to iPhone<\/i> in the image above. Although AirPlay 1 devices\u2014such as the AirPort Express base station (Speaker Express<\/i> above)\u2014still work singly, they can\u2019t be included in a multi-room set.<\/p>\n

AirPlay 2 in tvOS<\/h3>\n

Once your Apple TV is running tvOS 11.4, it can become an AirPlay 2 speaker, sending audio through your TV, soundbar, or home theater system. It can also broadcast its own audio to other AirPlay 2 speakers.<\/p>\n

To enable an Apple TV for AirPlay 2, go to Settings > AirPlay > Room, and bring your iPhone or iPad close to the Apple TV. Accept the prompt that appears on the iPhone or iPad, and the Apple TV joins other AirPlay 2 devices associated with your Apple ID.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once it\u2019s set up, you can send audio from the Apple TV to different speakers. In a video app, swipe down from the top of the Siri Remote, select Audio, and then select one or more speakers (not all video apps offer this feature).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For music, the steps are a little different. Start playing some music and then, from the Music app\u2019s Now Playing screen, swipe up and to the left to highlight the AirPlay\u00a0\"\" button (if no icons are showing at the top of the screen, press the Menu button to display them). Or\u2014this is much easier!\u2014just press and hold the Play\/Pause\u00a0\"\"\u00a0button on the Siri Remote. Then, as in iOS, select the desired AirPlay 2 speakers with circles to the right of their names by swiping down and clicking the touchpad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can also send all Apple TV audio to AirPlay 2 speakers by going to Settings > Video and Audio > Audio Output and selecting the desired speakers.<\/p>\n

Other AirPlay 2 Improvements<\/h3>\n

AirPlay 2 includes a few welcome performance improvements. A larger streaming buffer makes for fewer audio drops, and tighter device syncing provides a faster response when you play or pause the music. Another plus for iOS users is that taking a phone call or playing a game won\u2019t interrupt playback.<\/p>\n

Siri works better with streaming audio as well. You can specify which speaker Siri should play through, as in \u201cplay David Bowie\u2019s Hunky Dory on Dining Room,\u201d and play the same music through all your speakers with a command like \u201cplay the Brandenburg Concertos everywhere.\u201d You can even move audio from one speaker to another\u2014try asking your HomePod to \u201cmove the music to the Apple TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

AirPlay 2 speakers are now HomeKit accessories, so you can start and stop them in the Home app. That\u2019s about it for now, but we hope a future update will let us integrate audio into HomeKit scenes and automations, so your HomePod could automatically start playing soft jazz when you walk in the door from work.<\/p>\n

Finally, although it\u2019s unclear whether this feature is part of AirPlay 2, a pair of HomePods can now act as stereo speakers. Once each HomePod is running 11.4, a new option to pair them appears in the HomePod settings in the Home app. Select the HomePods, assign them to the left and right sides, and you can enjoy true stereo music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It may sound as though all AirPlay 2-compatible speakers come from Apple, but in fact, a wide range of speaker manufacturers\u2014including names like Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Denon, Marantz, Polk, and Sonos\u2014have committed to supporting AirPlay 2, either with updates to existing products or in new speakers. Look for such products later in 2018, and, in the meantime, we hope you enjoy using AirPlay 2 with HomePods and Apple TVs.<\/p>\n

\n

Social Media: AirPlay 2 is here, almost a year after Apple first announced it. Read on to learn what it can do (multi-room audio!) and how you can use it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many years now, Apple\u2019s AirPlay feature has made it possible to stream audio from an iOS device or Mac to an AirPlay-enabled speaker, AirPort Express base station, or most recently, a HomePod. Because AirPlay transfers sound over a Wi-Fi network, it eliminates the need for stereo wires and lets you put your speakers where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[153,157,302,193,66,154,39,95,264,48,52,196,79,271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airplay","category-apple-pros","category-apple-tv","category-apros-archive","category-article","category-audio","category-blog","category-control-center","category-homepod","category-ios","category-iphone","category-restricted-content","category-solution","category-tvos"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ios10-airplay-icon.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-7hv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27610,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-apples-new-homepod-speaker\/","url_meta":{"origin":27993,"position":0},"title":"10 Things You Need to Know about Apple\u2019s New HomePod Speaker","author":"computeradv","date":"March 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"After months of anticipation, Apple\u2019s new HomePod smart speaker finally shipped in mid-February. 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