One of the biggest knocks on Quibi when it launched in April is that despite being designed for mobile, it didn’t support AirPlay or Google Cast. This meant that if you wanted to share a video at home, you had to gather around a mobile device instead of being able to display on the big screen.
The company’s Chief Product Officer Tom Conrad confirmed that AirPlay support is live on the latest update (1.3) of their iOS App. For those with Android, Chromecast, or other devices that support Google Cast — the company will be adding support in June.
Sure we designed Quibi for on-the-go, but these days visiting the family room is like a day trip… so AirPlay support is live for iOS in Quibi 1.3. Working hard on Chromecast too which will be available in June.
— Tom Conrad (@tconrad) May 26, 2020
AirPlay support is available from iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to Apple TV and select Smart TV devices from LG, Samsung, and VIZIO.
Quibi has had a rough launch which founder Jeffrey Katzenberg attributed to COVID-19. “I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus,” Katzenberg told the NY Times.
However, the company launched without any TV support through AirPlay or Google Cast, devices like Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV, and limited users from sharing clips on social media.
Going live April 6, Quibi was the 20th most-popular free app in the App Store and sixth on Google Play, per analytics Sensor Tower three days later.
Quibi shows include “Survive,” starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, “Most Dangerous Game,” starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz, reality show “Thanks a Million” with Jennifer Lopez and home-renovation comedy “Flipped” starring Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson.
Quibi claims 3.5 million customers and 1.3 active users; Sensor counts 2.9 million customers.
Despite the discrepancy, Katzenberg, who raised $1.8 billion for the streamer, along with his CEO Meg Whitman, is disappointed. “It’s not up to what we wanted. It’s not close to what we wanted.”