If you’ve gone out and bought a 2019 LG ThinQ TV, you’re about to get AirPlay 2 support. If you own a 2018 model… not so much.
Upgrades are nice, especially when those upgrades arrive rather in a surprise. It’s a little like surprise cake or a surprise present: it’s something nice that appears out of the blue and makes you feel like someone cared.
In an example that is a little like that, this week LG has announced that it is rolling out support for both Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit for its 2019 TVs, meaning the LG OLED and LED-backlit LCD TVs announced earlier in the year are about to get support for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
If you have one of those devices, you’ll be able to send media directly to an LG ThinQ TV from this year without needing it to be plugged in or have an Apple TV hooked up to the television in the first place. The technology for AirPlay streaming works rather a lot like an iPhone or iPad wirelessly transmitting to an Apple TV, only the LG TV will take the feed directly, something this update provides.
“LG remains at the forefront of TV technological innovation because of our continuous quest to deliver the best home viewing experience,” said LG’s Brian Kwon.
“With Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support, we are demonstrating our commitment to offering consumer benefits that go beyond excellent picture quality,” he said.
This rollout will be something owners of 2019 LG OLED and Super UHD LED-backlit LCD TVs will see, however it’s not a feature that will be available on every TV you could buy in 2019. Specifically, it can only be found on the 2019 range in those areas — OLED and Super UHD — which were introduced earlier in the year.
If you bought a 2018 model earlier this year, or even last year, those are not included in this update, though a representative for the company told Pickr that “LG may look to update previous models in the future”.
LG’s update is also distinct from Samsung’s, which included AirPlay 2 and a direct link to 4K movies from the iTunes Store on 2019 and 2018 Samsung TVs. The LG update lacks the iTunes Store connection, and sticks to AirPlay 2 support for the current line of LG TVs released from March onwards.
As for the update itself, you’ll LG’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit update on TVs in Australia from this week. If you see an update ready for your internet-connected 2019 LG TV this week, there’s a good chance that’s what it is.
