AirPlay 2 and HomeKit Rolling Out to Select Roku Streaming Players and TVs - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

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

by

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.

Tags: AirPlay, HomeKit Guide, Roku

Popular Stories

ecovacs black friday

FCC Bans New Foreign-Made Robot Vacuums, Threatening Future Matter and HomeKit Models

Thursday July 30, 2026 11:55 am PDT by
The FCC this week banned all new "foreign-produced advanced robotic devices" because of an "unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." The government says networked robotic systems lead to vulnerabilities that allow bad actors to control the devices and collect surveillance data from Americans. Advanced robotic devices are defined as software-controlled autonomous...
Read Full Article • 70 comments
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Read Full Article
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Read Full Article

Top Rated Comments

Senseotech Avatar
Senseotech
75 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)
Chazzle Avatar
Chazzle
75 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)
whyamihere Avatar
whyamihere
75 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)
A
alent1234
75 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)
S
seinman
73 months ago

Hmmmm. OK, we have 2 of the 4K streaming sticks in our home and they burn through a set of AAAs (alkaline) every 2 to 3 weeks. Not kidding. I recently switched-up my entire home WiFi so I could put both Roku on 2.4ghz and clear up our 5ghz for stuff that I really want on 5ghz, so maybe that will help.

In terms of the Airplay performance, I've only tested it a few times, but at on the 4K sticks it seems to be just as good as on the Apple TVs, so that's good news.
I have two streaming sticks and two streaming sticks+, and all four remotes last at least five or six months. Haven’t done anything special with WiFi, all 4 devices are on 5 ghz.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
rumormiller
75 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)
Read All Comments

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors