Apple AirPlay Finally Arrives on Hotel TVs

 

Now, you can use AirPlay to stream movies, TV shows, music, Fitness+ workouts, Arcade games, photo slideshows, and more from your iPhone to hotel TVs. The AirPlay feature is currently limited to around 60 IHG hotels with LG TVs, although it will be expanded to other locations "in the coming months."

It's been a year in the making. Apple initially announced its plans to bring AirPlay to hotels at the Worldwide Developers Conference in 2023. I'm not sure why it took Apple so long to get this done right, but Google's version of AirPlay, called Chromecast, is currently featured in hundreds of hotels—Apple is a bit late to the game on this one.

Technically, LG smart TVs in IHG hotels already support AirPlay. Hotels simply disabled this feature because of the wireless AirPlay setup process—you don't want strangers connecting to the TV in your room, and so forth. In this new implementation, Apple has discontinued the wireless setup process and supports on-screen QR codes.

To use AirPlay on a compatible hotel TV, scan the QR code on the TV's home screen. Each QR code is unique to the hotel room and is discarded upon checkout. Apple claims that all information shared to the TV via AirPlay cannot be accessed by hotel staff or other guests.

Moreover, you're not limited to just one device connection. A family can connect all their Apple devices to a supported hotel TV via AirPlay, as the QR code will appear each time the TV returns to its main screen.

Note that AirPlay connectivity in hotels requires an iPhone X or newer running at least iOS 17.3. You can also use an iPad, as long as you have an iPad capable of running the 17.3 update. Some AirPlay features, such as Apple Arcade games and Fitness+ workouts, require additional subscriptions (you might already have these subscriptions through an Apple One package).

You can see a complete list of IHG hotels that support AirPlay on the IHG website. For reference, IHG includes brands like Holiday Inn, Avid, and Staybridge Suites, among many other networks and resorts. Most of these hotels are located in the United States, although there are also some in Canada and Mexico.

via emka.web.id