Apple Delays iOS 17's AirPlay in Hotel Room Feature Until 2024 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Delays iOS 17's AirPlay in Hotel Room Feature Until 2024

Apple today updated the iOS 17 page on its website to indicate that its AirPlay feature for hotel room TVs has been delayed until next year.

airplay hotels
Apple originally said the feature was "coming later this year," but it now says it will be "coming in an update in 2024." Apple did not provide a more specific timeframe, but the feature should be added in an iOS 17 update in the first half of next year.

The feature will allow iPhone users to scan a QR code on their hotel room TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing them to wirelessly stream videos, photos, and music from their iPhone to the TV. Google already offers a similar feature on some hotel TVs, allowing guests to stream content from their smartphone via Chromecast.

Apple in June said Holiday Inn owner IHG Hotels & Resorts would be one of the first hotel companies to adopt the feature, while LG announced that it would be one of the first hotel room TV manufacturers to support the feature.

Tag: AirPlay
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

50 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27 - Out Now!

Monday September 14, 2026 10:48 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 27 this week, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features to explore, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. Which iPhones Support Every iOS 27 Feature? This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though,...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...

Top Rated Comments

36 months ago
I figured this feature would have been a successful as the “gym equipment integrated with the health app” from years past. Years later and I have yet to see it.

Apple assumes big time that entire industries will integrate with them quickly and it’s almost never the case.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dontwalkhand Avatar
36 months ago

Hah. Not a million years will I ever count on this feature being available at a hotel I'm staying at.

If I need Airplay in a hotel I'm bringing an Apple TV and an HDMI cable.
Just bring an HDMI to USB-C/Lightning adapter and play stuff directly from the phone. One less device to carry that way.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
36 months ago
This seems like one of those GymKit type features that’ll notionally exist but that I forget that they exist since it depends on other businesses’ choices and not mine. I don’t see myself choosing a hotel based on “does it support AirPlay in Hotel Room” the same way I might choose a car based on its CarPlay support.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
36 months ago
Hah. Not a million years will I ever count on this feature being available at a hotel I'm staying at.

If I need Airplay in a hotel I'm bringing an Apple TV and an HDMI cable.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
36 months ago

I didn't know this would be a feature. It's actually going to be quite complicated to implement, because there are a lot of issues. Some obvious ones:
[LIST=1]
* will the connection be wifi direct? It'll have to be, to be secure. You don't want TVs on the guest-accessible network.
* will the TV also be connected to an internal hotel network?
* what kind of telemetry/logging will be available?
* if something goes wrong, what can the front desk do about it?

If it's not wifi direct and some sort of airdrop-type thing, well, that'll be harder for the OEM to implement.

But it's a good idea. I've been to a number of hotels where someone else's crews are in Netflix etc.
Usually the TVs in guest rooms are just monitors. They have an IP-based media box that connects to a head unit in the server room and property management system, enabling ordering room service, putting your name on the TV, etc.

I think, IIRC, an AC Hotel (Marriott) I stayed at had AirPlay in the room and it had you connect to a special wifi network. It was unique to your room and disappeared when the AirPlay session was ended.

I’d assume those media boxes have their own in-built diagnostics for IT to troubleshoot. And all of that IT work is usually contracted out, not done by hotel staff.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
36 months ago
I didn't know this would be a feature. It's actually going to be quite complicated to implement, because there are a lot of issues. Some obvious ones:
[LIST=1]
* will the connection be wifi direct? It'll have to be, to be secure. You don't want TVs on the guest-accessible network.
* will the TV also be connected to an internal hotel network?
* what kind of telemetry/logging will be available?
* if something goes wrong, what can the front desk do about it?

If it's not wifi direct and some sort of airdrop-type thing, well, that'll be harder for the OEM to implement.

But it's a good idea. I've been to a number of hotels where someone else's crews are in Netflix etc.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)