We start 2019 with the news that Smart TV manufacturers Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio would add support for AirPlay on the models they planned to launch over the past year. Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, extended support to the model generation they launched in 2018 and Vizio until 2017.
However, LG in a move that attracted considerable attention, stated that it had not planned implement AirPlay 2 support on models it had released in 2018, a move that is now shown to be a commercial strategy that has left him very badly.
And I say that it has left him very bad, because when he made the announcement, did not point to the reason the 2018 models would not be updated to add this functionality, as if Samsung would. LG has just announced that it will offer support for both AirPlay 2 and HomeKit in some of the models it launched in 2018, specifically in the SK and UK LCD models and the OLED B8 and Z8 models.
AirPlay 2 technology allows users to cast videos, music, podcasts and more directly from the iPhone, iPad or Mac to a compatible TV without the need for an Apple TV. Thanks to the compatibility with HomeKit, which some LG models also offer, users can turn on the TV, control the volume, change the video input and more using Siri voice commands or through the available Home application on iOS and macOS.
Apparently, the Korean company has been considered to reconsider a decision not to include the models launched in 2018, after having 20.000 requests (through Change.org) by users who had been affected by this commercial decision . The software update for models that will be compatible with both AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will arrive later this year.
