LG says smart TVs will gain AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support next week

In addition to Samsung and Vizio, LG announced earlier this year that it would be adding support for Apple’s ecosystem to its TV operating system. According to a tweet from LG’s Australian account, the webOS update that adds support for HomeKit and AirPlay 2 will be released next week.

If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, you’ll be able to send video content to your TV using the AirPlay icon in your favorite video app. Unfortunately, some apps restrict AirPlay usage. So you’ll be able to beam YouTube or Amazon Prime Video content, but not Netflix shows for instance.

AirPlay is also useful if you want to show some photos on the big screen. And you can mirror your screen to a TV in case you want to use an LG TV for your PowerPoint presentation in your office.

LG TVs should also support AirPlay audio, which means that you can send audio to multiple AirPlay 2 devices at once (including your LG TV) and manage your multi-speaker setup from your iOS device.

When it comes to HomeKit support, you’ll be able to add your TV to the Home app and turn it on and off from there. Of course, it means that you can create automation in order to turn off the TV when you leave your home, or turn on the TV when you open the Hulu app on your iPad.

Thanks to HomeKit support, you can also create custom actions. For instance, you could say “Hey Siri, turn on the TV” and have Siri turn on the TV and dim your Philips Hue lights. You can also control the HDMI input from your Apple devices.

Unfortunately, LG said that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support would only be added to 2019 smart TVs. Let’s see if that limit still stands when the company rolls out its software update.