Orlaith CostelloCES 2019 brought the announcement that major TV brands Sony, LG, and Samsung, will be bringing Apple HomeKit and AirPlay 2 to their 2019 TVs, offering customers greater freedom of choice and convenience in their entertainment and smart assistant options.
Sony has announced that Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will be coming to its Z9G Series, A9G Series, and X950G Series Android TVs soon, meaning that users will be asking Siri — an Apple product — to control Android TVs.
Sony already offers Google Assistant built-in to its TV range, but this new partnership allows for greater freedom of choice among consumers.
LG is also adding Apple support to its 2019 television range, allowing users to share content to their TVs using AirPlay 2 as well as enabling the use of Apple HomeKit — allowing users to control the TV using Siri.
“Many of our customers may also happen to have Apple devices,” said Tim Alessi, Senior Director of Home Entertainment Product Marketing during LG’s CES press conference.
“LG has been working with Apple as well to create a streamlined user experience. So I’m very pleased to announce today that we’re adding Apple AirPlay to our 2019 TVs.”
LG’s 2019 TV range also offers built-in voice-assistants Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant available by pressing a button and talking into the remote, which can produce on-screen search results and more.
Samsung has already announced support for AirPlay 2 and Homekit on their new line of TVs and has agreed to make Apple iTunes movies available on their 2018 and 2019 TV range.
Now its 2019 range of TVs will respond to voice commands issued via Alexa and Google Assistant smart speakers, including powering on/off, volume control, and launching apps like Netflix.
Samsung isn’t bowing down entirely to Apple, Amazon, or Google just yet, as remote-based voice commands and on-screen results will remain powered by its own personal assistant, Bixby.