Starting with iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, you can wirelessly stream content from your iPhone or iPad to a compatible hotel room TV via AirPlay, and we have now learned that the feature should begin rolling out at hotels over the coming months.
A spokesperson for LG today informed MacRumors that the company expects the first hotels to install AirPlay-enabled smart TVs "later this spring," meaning that the feature should be available by mid-June at the latest. LG last year announced that it would be the first manufacturer to offer AirPlay on both new hotel room TVs and older models released in "recent years," suggesting the capability could be enabled with a software update on some existing hotel room TVs.
Apple first announced this feature at WWDC 2023 last June, and it said that IHG Hotels & Resorts would be the first to offer it at select hotels. IHG owns many well-known hotel brands in the U.S. and abroad, including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, InterContinental, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Indigo, Avid, and others.
IHG and other major hotel companies, including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham, and others, did not respond to our requests for comment.
Once available, the feature will allow you to scan a unique QR code on a hotel room TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing you to wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from your iPhone or iPad to the TV. After the pairing process, your device will also automatically be connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi network.
"With no logins or passwords to remember and no separate app to download, this will be the simplest way for a hotel to enable guests to access their personal entertainment apps and accounts on the big screen in their room," LG said last year.
Google already offers a similar Chromecast streaming feature on some hotel TVs that works with both iPhones and Android devices.
With thousands of hotels across the U.S. alone, it will likely take a long time for the AirPlay-enabled TVs to roll out widely. Where it is available, the feature will provide a much improved experience for quickly and seamlessly streaming content.
Top Rated Comments
As with CarPlay, it will be a while before we see it everywhere. And like with CarPlay, if other business see it as a threat to their revenue streams, it will be blocked, disabled or removed.