AirPlay lets you share everything from your music and movies to apps and games from your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to your Apple TV
If you're new to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and are wondering just what exactly AirPlay is and what it means to you, worry not -- iMore has you covered. AirPlay is Apple's term for their audio and video streaming technology. It's what lets your iOS 5 device, or iTunes on Mac or Windows, beam videos over Wi-Fi to your Apple TV so you can watch movies and play games on your big screen TV, or music to your AirPort Express router, so you can listen on your higher quality speakers.
AirPlay Mirroring is a more recent addition to iOS that works with iPad 2 or iPhone 4S and lets you not only beam music or video, but entire iPhone or iPad apps. Anything from Facebook to your favorite crosswords, racing, or fighting game can be sent via Apple TV to your HDTV, with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad remaining active as the controller. Some games, like [Real Racing 2](/tag/real-racing 2) even let you participate in multiplayer games using AirPlay, with each person using their own device to control their own car, all displayed together on the big screen TV.
AirPlay is proprietary and not an open standard, which means Apple gets to control who uses it. Several other companies have licensed AirPlay, however, and you can find a growing range of AirPlay-compatible audio equipment. There's also some software out there that can run on your computer and tie into AirPlay, like BananaTV that lets you beam to your Mac instead of a TV.
Your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or computer running iTunes needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV, Airport Express, or other hardware for AirPlay to work, but because Wi-Fi has high bandwidth it usually makes for a solid, stable connection. It's real time. It's encrypted. And most of the time, it "just works"
Want to know more? Check out more of our iOS A-Z words-of-the-day, or jump ahead to our complete iPhone and iPad glossary for the full on dictionary list!
- Apple TV - Amazon link
- AirPlay compatible speakers - Amazon link
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
NJ Supreme Court rules you can be forced to give up your phone’s passcode
In a 4-3 decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Fifth Amendment did not protect this particular defendant.
Ooredoo ONE subscribers can now get an Apple TV 4K with their TV plan
Subscribers to Qatari TV company Ooredoo can get a free Apple TV 4K with their ONE plan right now.
EU says it is 'aware' of Facebook Gaming and Microsoft xCloud concerns
The European Commission has said it is "aware" of concerns over Apple's App Store rules regarding recent news over Microsoft's Project xCloud gaming service and Facebook Gaming.
iPhone doesn't have an SD card slot, but you can use a flash drive instead!
Having a flash drive that works with your iPhone is a great little piece accessory to have in your back pocket! Here are the best options for backing up your phone.