Apple reportedly working with hotels to expand AirPlay availability with iOS 17

Apple will officially announce iOS 17 in less than two weeks at WWDC 2023. Ahead of that, a new report from Bloomberg today details a handful of new features that Apple is working on for iPhone users this year. According to the report, Apple is working on updates to SharePlay and AirPlay, with one of the goals being to expand the availability of AirPlay connectivity to new places.

This rumor comes as part of a broader report from Bloomberg detailing Apple’s plans to turn iPhones into pseudo-smart displays with iOS 17.

According to the report, Apple is “working on upgrades for SharePlay” as part of iOS 17. SharePlay is Apple’s feature that allows iPhone and iPad users watch TV shows and movies with other people, listen to Apple Music together, and more. It was originally announced as part of iOS 15 in 2021.

There are no further details on what sort of upgrades SharePlay might gain this year. The feature, however, didn’t receive any attention from Apple as part of iOS 16 last year.

In addition to the improvements to SharePlay, Bloomberg also reports that iOS 17 will include upgrades for AirPlay. In particular, Apple has reportedly “held discussions with hotels and other places that offer TVs and speakers, aiming to make it easier for users to beam video and audio to devices they don’t own.”

Many hotels, for example, currently offer integration with similar casting features from Google. Apple is seemingly hoping to tap into that market to expand the availability of AirPlay to new places for users.

Over the years, Apple has drastically expanded AirPlay to non-Apple devices. This includes things like Roku streaming stick and smart TVs from companies like Samsung, Vizio, and LG.

Other rumored updates to iOS 17 include a new journaling app, Health features, Find My and Wallet app updates, and more. In today’s report, Bloomberg describes the changes to the Wallet app in iOS 17 as “significant.”

Apple confirmed this week that its annual Worldwide Developer Conference keynote address will take place on Monday, June 5, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Keep it locked to 9to5Mac for comprehensive coverage leading up to the event. We’ll also be on-site for WWDC 2023 all week long.

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