Skip to main content

iOS 8 uses peer-to-peer connections for AirPlay to Apple TV, no longer needs a network

Screen Shot 2014-06-03 at 21.55.50

iOS 8 uses peer-to-peer technology to stream video to Apple TV, as described by Apple on a page highlighting enterprise features.

Today, AirPlay requires both devices connect to the same WiFi network before they can communicate.

With iOS 8, the network is cut out completely and the iOS device directly talks to the Apple TV with a peer-to-peer connection. AirDrop uses the same peer-to-peer technology, for convenience reasons.

The peer-to-peer feature could come in handy in enterprise contexts, such as when doing a presentation in a meeting, as well as elsewhere. For instance, players could setup a multiplayer iPhone game without ever needing to connect to the network, avoiding the hassle of entering WiFi passwords and such.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. J.latham - 10 years ago

    Probably unable to tell until they update the remote app, but any news if it can work without wifi as well?

  2. Michael Kelsey Teagle - 10 years ago

    Will this remove the requirement of having a home internet connection? Do you think I could cancel my internet subscription and just stream netflix from my phone?

    • george264 - 10 years ago

      Yeah definitely but do you actually not use a computer or a tablet? It would also kill many great uses for the Apple TV.

    • Yeah, but do you want to pay high data fees to stream hd content? It’d be cheaper to have both a small data plan and home internet.

    • kplayaja - 10 years ago

      Are you grandfathered into an Unlimited Data plan that doesn’t throttle you?

  3. rtd5943 - 10 years ago

    While this is a great feature and I welcome it, this could cause some privacy concerns. If have your Apple TV on essentially anyone could take control and start to display whatever they like. Maybe they will add some sort of “allowed devices” list or passcode authentication.

    • Rob Alvey (@robalvey) - 10 years ago

      You can already do passwords with airplay, so my guess is they will just use that.

    • They could also create a unique matching system. Similarly to the way Netflix authenticates on some DVD/Blu Ray players, the Apple TV would display a code which you’d enter on your device. This would pair the two together. You’d only have to do this once upon initial set-up and then the device would be remembered by the Apple TV.

      • iPadCary - 10 years ago

        Yeah, something along those lines sounds good.

      • Mohammed Ali Salih - 10 years ago

        these feature is already available either u put password or u use a code method

    • You can stop people from streaming to your AppleTV by changing the “Conference” option to “Ask” but that doesn’t stop YOU from accidentally streaming something to someone else in the vicinity. I’d like to have the option to HIDE all AppleTV within my vicinity other than the one on MY network.

  4. Michael Capanelli - 10 years ago

    Will this be an update to the apple TV’s OS or is the feature already there but unused? (sorry if this is the stupid question of the week).

  5. ron837192 - 10 years ago

    I wonder if this will also work for AirPlay music streaming. I have an Airport Express in my master bathroom, and if I use my iPhone to AirPlay to those speakers, the audio always cuts out. I suspect it is because the router is a bit far away, and the double hop (iPhone –> router –> Airport Express) kills it. I can stream iMac (wired LAN) –> router –> Airport Express with no problem at all.

  6. Chadwick Davis - 10 years ago

    YEEESSSSS

  7. Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

    AppleTV, and by extension the iPad, was pretty useless as a presentation tool in the corporate world before, so this is welcome news indeed. In fact this really should have been the way the very first iteration of AirPlay worked and it really should be back ported all the way back to iOS6.

  8. Jack Elliott - 10 years ago

    Can someone let me know how does this technology work? If I am not on the same network – how do these devices talk to each other? As far as I am aware, Apple TV does not have Bluetooth. So does it mean that Apple TV becomes an access point and I connect to it instead? I guess this is what it is because otherwise this wouldn’t have been listed on the enterprise section of Apple’s website.

    • Tony C (@Muadibe10) - 10 years ago

      You can already connect a keyboard to the Apple TV via Bluetooth.

    • Josh - 10 years ago

      It mentions P2P – which is probably Wifi-Direct (more probably than BT if streaming rich media). This would mean you can by-pass connecting to the network and connecting directly with the device.

  9. I’m assuming this technology would not work for 4S users since we have no airdrop/p2p connection capabilities on our phone

  10. Maike Den Houting - 10 years ago

    Updated my ipad 2 to IOS8. Working in a school with 1-on-1 ipad, I was unable to get the airplay to work properly. Airplay button was visible less than half of the time and as it became visible, not all the classrooms where in the list or appeared/disappeared while scrolling down. After lots of waiting and trying, even shutting down the IPad and restarting a wificonnection, I managed to get airplay to work for two times in two different classrooms, but only for a short while. Before the upgrade everything worked very well. I wish I could downgrade again, as I can’t use it for teaching at the moment. We have two separate wifi networks, one for teachers that are able to connect to the apple tv and one for the students. What do I have to do to make it work again?

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.