LG today announced that it will begin rolling out its 2019 TV models this month. Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support will be added mid-year. Amazon Alexa compatibility will be added later this year.
AirPlay 2 & HomeKit on LG TVs
At CES 2019, Apple and partners announced that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are coming to select TVs from LG, Sony, and Vizio, and that AirPlay 2 and iTunes are coming to select Samsung TVs.
LG now confirms that it expects to roll out the Apple features through a software update mid-year. This is the first time that a TV manufacturer has commented on timing. It is likely that Apple is dictating the terms and that a mid-year roll-out applies to TVs from other manufacturers too but this is speculation.
- “New LG TVs will receive an upgrade mid-year to support Apple AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit for easy streaming of video and audio content and connectivity to Apple’s smart home products,” LG announced.
AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will be supported on LG’s 2019 OLED, "NanoCell" LCD, and UM7X LCD series TVs but not on previous TV models. Owners are petitioning LG and Sony to retroactively add support for the Apple features. A full list of confirmed TV models from LG, Sony, Samsung, and Vizio can be found here.
In addition, LG said that support for Amazon Alexa will be added to its 2019 TV models through an update later this year. Google Assistant will be supported out of the box.
LG will begin rolling out its 2019 OLED and LCD models this month, starting with South Korea and USA, and later Asia, Europa, and South America. Pricing details will be announced soon.
