Update: An LG spokesperson now says that the information shared by its UK PR team is inaccurate and there are no current plans to bring AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to LG TVs that were released earlier than 2019. From LG:
"LG cannot guarantee that TV models prior to 2019 will be able to deliver a seamless user experience. Therefore, while this may be a possibility in the future, at the moment, LG has no plans to update its pre-2019 TVs with Airplay 2 or HomeKit."
LG still plans to bring AirPlay 2 to its 2019 TVs this week, and did not rule out the possibility of support for older TVs in the future.
Original article: LG today announced that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility are rolling out to 2019 AI ThinQ TVs starting on Thursday, July 25.
While the 2019 LG AI ThinQ TVs will be the first to get the firmware update that will enable HomeKit and AirPlay 2, new information shared today by Screen Times suggests AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will eventually be coming to all LG TV models with AI ThinQ in the future.
The information comes from Piers Le Moignan from LG's UK press team, who told Screen Times that "All LG TV models with AI ThinQ from past to present" will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit eventually.
It's not clear when older LG TV models will receive a firmware update to add AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility, but starting this week, all 2019 LG OLED TVs, NanoCell TVs, and UHD TVs with ThinQ AI capabilities will get the update.
With AirPlay 2, LG TV users can stream TV shows and movies from an iOS or macOS device directly to the television, with no Apple TV set-top box required. A movie can be started on an iPhone and AirPlayed right to a TV, as an example.
Mirroring a Mac or iOS device's screen to the TV is also possible, letting photos, spreadsheets, webpages, documents, games, and more be displayed on the larger screen of a TV set.
AirPlay 2 allows multiple audio sources to play the same content, so a song can be played on a single television set, multiple television sets, or a TV and other AirPlay 2 devices such as speakers for whole home audio.
The AirPlay 2 functionality in LG TVs is linked to HomeKit, so LG TV sets with the new firmware will show up in the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In the Home app, LG TV users can do things like switch inputs, turn the television on and off, and adjust the volume. Siri can also be used for these commands, so a simple "Hey Siri" voice request on an iOS or macOS device can adjust the volume or turn the TV on or off, much like other HomeKit products.
Siri is also able to AirPlay content from an iOS device or Mac to the TV, which means a command like "Hey Siri, play Big Little Lies on the living room TV" will work as a quick way to play a TV show or movie without having to search for it directly.
LG says AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will roll out to 2019 TVs in more than 140 countries this week, with the update "continuing over the weeks to follow."
LG will be the third TV manufacturer to begin offering HomeKit and/or AirPlay 2 support. Samsung rolled out AirPlay 2 and an Apple TV app back in May (Samsung TVs don't support HomeKit) and Vizio has been beta testing its implementation of AirPlay 2 and HomeKit since April.
Along with LG, Vizio, and Samsung, Sony also has plans to introduce AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support later this year.
