Today, our mobile phone is an extension of our hands that allows us to touch the digital world. And within the wide range of possibilities that exist is that of sending content to TV. But if AirPlay doesn't work properly, we have a problem to do it.
Do you want to know what to do when AirPlay does not work well? We tell you everything in the following article.
How does AirPlay work?
As we have seen in other articles here at SoydeMac, AirPlay It is the wireless content transmission technology that Apple offers us to be able to send multimedia content from any device with iOS and derivatives to an approved receiver, which can be an Apple TV, Apple smart speakers and even some televisions manufactured by third parties.
For AirPlay to work correctly, certain circumstances must occur:
- Have AirPlay compatible devices. It is useless if we try to AirPlay to a device that only supports Miracast, for example, since our iPhone will not be able to broadcast content to it.
- That both are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Since AirPlay doesn't generate a network of its own, they must be connected to the same network to work.
- That AirPla is enabled on both devicesand. Being connected to the same network is not enough, but you have to manually select the possibility of using it with the content that we want to transmit to our TV or speaker.
These features are already giving us a series of clues about things that we should check if AirPlay does not work correctly, which we will see below.
What to check if AirPlay isn't working
If you're having trouble connecting to AirPlay, there are a few things you should check to figure out where the problem is.
Many times we attribute operating problems to hardware that may be broken and although this is plausible, it is not always the case. The vast majority of breakdowns that occur in electronic devices are due to bad configurations or things that are not correctly installed.
Early reviews to keep in mind
To be sure that we are not dealing with broken hardware, you should confirm the following things:
- Make sure that the devices are compatible: whenever you want to use AirPlay you will have to use a device that is approved for this technology. Not all of them are, so it doesn't hurt to check the manufacturer's manual to see if it is supported.
- Check the internet connection: As AirPlay is based on Wi-Fi, an internet outage could be the reason why the service is not working well. Remember that if your phone is only connected to mobile data, or if your phone and your receiver are connected to different networks, you will not be able to use AirPlay.
- Use the old computer trick: restart your devices. Many times we do not usually turn off the devices and this causes certain processes to remain in the RAM memory that accumulate and lead to errors. Remember to turn off your devices periodically so that they start fresh and free of errors.
- Update the software: As we have said several times, having the latest software version installed guarantees that we are covering certain bugs or errors that appear in the programs we use. For all these reasons, it is always recommended and almost mandatory to be on the latest software versions of your device.
Check certain advanced settings
If in the first phase you have not been able to fix the problems in AirPlay, it is likely that there are still more things behind that can cause the service to not work correctly. In these cases, we are going to get fully into slightly more advanced cases to solve if Airplay does not work well.
- Turn off the VPN if you use this service. Many times for security or simply to access streaming content from other countries we have contracted a VPN service, but this could be one of the ways in which AirPlay is failing. Try temporarily disabling it to see if the error stops.
- Disable the Firewall on your computer or router: although it is not common in the home environment, there are firewall programs that limit the connections made from our home to the Internet or even between our devices. By disabling them we have a chance to detect if they interfere with the use of AirPlay.
- Check if there are others interfering devices. Some wireless devices and household appliances such as microwave ovens are known to affect home Wi-Fi performance. Try to stay away from those devices while you're trying to use AirPlay.
If you think that you do not have the knowledge to disable probable things that are affecting your router, do not worry. You have two fast ways to solve them that do not imply having great technical knowledge.
The first is the Reset button on your wireless router itself, which if you hold it down for several seconds will leave your router in factory settings, eliminating any configuration that could have been solved later.
The other is to contact your telephone operator. Tech support has tools to get into your router and reset it to factory settings if that would be a feasible solution to your AirPlay issues.
If none of this works, opt for the Guarantee
If none of this works correctly anymore, the proper thing would be contact Apple to find out what is happening, since we could find a hardware failure or corrupt software that could be leading us to error.
Check if you have an Apple Store nearby, as you can make an appointment at the Genius Bar where they will check your device and see if there is any fault in it for free, in addition to doing a general check-up to find out the state of its health.
Depending on the age of the devices themselves and the warranty policies of the area where you live, you will have to pay something or not for their repair.
Recap: What to check if AirPlay isn't working properly
With your AppleTV you can stream content from your Macbook to the TV wirelessly
Essentially, AirPlay creates a wireless connection between sending and receiving devices over the Wi-Fi network to stream media content without the need for physical cables, allowing for a more convenient and flexible experience when sharing content between Apple devices.
So, when in doubt, always check the status of the connections and that both devices are connected to the same network. If that fails you, restart the devices and if you still have problems, review the advanced part of this guide.
We hope this mini tutorial has been of some use to you and remember that, when in doubt, you can always consult our page to see if we have any tutorial or trick about the problem you are experiencing, in addition to Apple's own website.