AirPlay 2 and HomeKit Rolling Out to Select Roku Streaming Players and TVs

Roku today announced that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are now rolling out to select streaming players, including the Roku Ultra, Roku Streambar, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Streaming Stick+, and Roku Premiere, as part of a free Roku OS 9.4 update. The software update is also in the process of rolling out to select Roku-based 4K TVs from brands like TCL.

roku airplay
AirPlay 2 enables users to stream videos, music, podcasts, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a Roku-connected TV, with no Apple TV box necessary. And with HomeKit support, users can control the TV's power and and more using the Home app and Siri on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or HomePod.

The software update began rolling out earlier this month for some users and should be available on all supported Roku devices within the coming days.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Chazzle Avatar
48 months ago

Forgive my ignorance if I missed this detail, but will this allow the TV to also output audio via AirPlay 2?
Yes, works great. I can even play music thru my HomePod and sound bar that’s hooked up to my roku tv and it plays perfectly in sync.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Senseotech Avatar
48 months ago

It's about the content.. Apple is not overly concerned with selling AppleTV boxes
I also suspect that for many, myself included, we're willing to pay a premium for an additional box that's independent of the TV and its OS/upgrade cycle and that has that familiar Apple "feel" to it. I've never been a fan of Roku's clunky interface and "channel" model where everything feels slow; having my TV in Homekit and with AirPlay 2 directly is nice, but I'm still going to buy the next AppleTV device for the interface, ease of use, and overall ecosystem, and I suspect there's a sufficient number of people like me to where its not an EITHER OR scenario.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
whyamihere Avatar
48 months ago
My TCL 55R617 said it checked for an update earlier today but was still on 9.3. I did a manual update check and sure enough, there was 9.4. AirPlay works great!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alent1234 Avatar
48 months ago

There goes a main selling point for Apple TV. wonder why Apple finally caved on letting AirPlay be on other devices
because everyone else was going to have some casting ability from a phone to a tv and it would be stupid if their $1300 phone couldn't cast to a TV without an additional $150 box
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rumormiller Avatar
48 months ago
I don't think it's available in the UK. My Streaming Stick+ has updated to 9.4.0 yet no Airplay.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Packers1958 Avatar
48 months ago

My understanding is that it does work on an AppleTV if you have it set to always output DolbyVision which is not ideal.
It actually isn't real DV. It's not taking the raw DV file from the phone and displaying it as DV. It first converts it back to SDR, and then displays it as DV. So you are not getting the full bt2020 color gamut, but instead a rec709 color gamut converted to bt2020. So it will not look correct.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)