In January of this year, it was revealed that many different TV manufacturers, including Samsung and LG, would be adding support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features into some of their smart TVs.
That rollout has happened for some manufacturers, while others have been waiting until now to get it started. LG fits into the latter category, with the company announcing today that it is rolling out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support in the United States for two of its smart TV families.
LG actually started the rollout on July 25. However, the firmware update for TV owners in the United States didn’t go live until later on July 29. LG is now announcing the update as it goes wide in the U.S.
LG confirmed in its announcement today that the update is available for select 2019 OLED smart TVs, as well as select NanoCell 4K UHD smart TVs as well. In the case of the NanoCell models, the model number SM8100 is not included in the update plans, so if you have that TV variant you’re out of luck it seems.
The Life’s Good crew also confirmed that its remaining 4K UHD TV series will see an update to support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit sometime later in 2019, but no firm date has been announced just yet. The TVs need LG’s ThinQ AI capability to support the update.
With AirPlay 2, LG 2019 AI TV owners can effortlessly stream content – including Dolby Vision titles – from iPhone, iPad and Mac straight to their TV sets. Users can stream their favorite movies and television shows from the Apple TV app and other video apps as well as view photos directly on their LG AI TVs. Users can also play Apple Podcasts, Apple Music and music from their library or other streaming services through their LG AI TV and other AirPlay 2-compatible speakers in their home at the same time – all in sync.
HomeKit enables users to conveniently control their smart home with the Home app or via Siri on their Apple devices. LG AI TVs can be easily added to the Home app, from which users can access basic TV functions such as power, volume and source. LG AI TVs can also be added to scenes or automations along with other HomeKit accessories.
As it stands right now, Samsung’s smart TVs have already been updated to support AirPlay 2 — but won’t be updated to offer HomeKit functionality. Sony is planning on supporting both features sometime later this summer. And Vizio is already testing out HomeKit and AirPlay 2 support for some of its smart TVs in a beta test right now.