Roku in Talks With Apple About AirPlay 2 Support

Roku is in talks with Apple about supporting AirPlay 2, with the two companies currently working out details surrounding the partnership, according to a source familiar with the matter. The plans are not finalized and are subject to change.

roku airplay 2
We're told that ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support is likely to arrive in the form of a Roku OS software update for Roku media players, which can be used with virtually any smart TV. The update would likely extend to smart TVs with Roku OS preinstalled, including select models from Sharp, TCL, Insignia, Hisense, Sanyo, and RCA.

It's unclear when the software update might be released or if it will be limited to select Roku players and TVs. We're told the partnership may extend to Apple Music, suggesting that Roku OS could gain an app to access the streaming music service alongside existing apps for Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.

Last month, we asked Roku if it was willing to work with Apple on ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support and a spokesperson said "we don't have anything to share regarding this now." Roku did not immediately respond to our follow-up request for comment today, while Apple rarely comments on its plans in advance.

With ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support, Roku users would be able to stream video, audio, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to their smart TVs. HomeKit is also coming to many smart TVs, enabling users to control volume, playback, and more using Siri or the Home app on an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac.

Last month, Apple announced that select ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled smart TVs are coming from leading brands such as Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Sony. Samsung's latest smart TVs are also getting an exclusive iTunes app for movies and TV shows.

Tags: AirPlay, Roku

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...

Top Rated Comments

MattG Avatar
88 months ago
Of course they are. This nothing company needs all the help they can get or Apple will just crush them in the long run. They would be stupid to not support it.
Yeah, pretty sure you've got that backwards. Apple is getting crushed in the streaming device market because like usual, they've created a niche device that costs 5x as much as what the competition is selling, without 5x the functionality to back it up. Getting AirPlay into devices like Roku and the new TVs that were announced at CES is a way for Apple to have an "in."
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aldaris Avatar
88 months ago
Apple will just crush them in the long run. They would be stupid to not support it.
Unless Apple makes a display they won’t be crushing anyone. Samsung, Sony, Vizio, etc are all players bringing different things to the table across this space. Apple is the one who is best served being more concerned with ‘services’.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lostczech Avatar
88 months ago
Of course they are. This nothing company needs all the help they can get or Apple will just crush them in the long run. They would be stupid to not support it.
I'm fairly certain Roku WANTS AirPlay but need Apple's blessing. I doubt they are the reluctant ones in this equation.

Plus, the "nothing company" is the only set top provider I use as at one point they were the only box that had Amazon Prime outside of Amazon's FireTV (Yes, AppleTV finally has it as well, like 3 years after Roku)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aldaris Avatar
88 months ago
More options the better ;)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lostczech Avatar
88 months ago
It really doesn't matter that it's the only provider you use.

It's a terrible business and it will be absorbed or will die on its own. They've never made money.
[doublepost=1549316177][/doublepost]
Apple can crush Roku without making a display, lol. Displays are a terrible business. Why would Apple want to do that?
Wonderful sweeping statements made there. They were profitable in Q2 2018 (haven't bothered digging deeper, since I've already put more facts into this than you have), which is quite in contrary to "They've never made money"
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cgriffis753 Avatar
88 months ago
Oh that would be awesome!! I'm more interested in the HomeKit aspect of this than the Airplay
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)