In early January, Apple announced that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit would be coming to Samsung, LG, and VIZIO Smart TVs later this year. While they launched support on their 2019 4K Smart TVs in May, they are finally bringing the support to their SmartCast 3.0 Smart TVs.
Unlike LG, which is only including support for their newly released TVs, and Samsung, which is supporting back to 2018 models, VIZIO will be support SmartCast televisions all the way back to 2016.
With AirPlay 2, you can share your iOS device or Mac directly to your Smart TV. This means you can play music, movies, podcast, or display photos on your screen without the need for an Apple TV.
By adding HomeKit support, customers will now be able to use their iPhone or iPad to control their Smart TV. This means you can pause, rewind, fast-forward, change volume, and power the TV from your Lock Screen, Control Center, Home App, or by voice with Siri.
With AirPlay2 and HomeKit, customers will also be able to send a video to their TV by voice. For instance, “Hey Siri, play Game of Thrones on my living room TV” will AirPlay the show to a compatible Smart TV.
The renewed interest in partnerships with TV manufacturers comes as Apple announced a new streaming service called Apple TV+ with original shows from J.J. Abrams, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Evans.