How to Use Airplay with a Bluetooth Speaker That Doesn’t Support It

Hey there! Want to know how to play music from your iPhone or iPad on a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t have built-in Airplay support? Well, I’ve got you covered! Let me show you a nifty little trick that will make it possible.

First things first, I need to give you a quick rundown on what Airplay actually is. Basically, Airplay is a feature that allows you to stream audio or video from your Apple device to another compatible device, like an Apple TV or a speaker with Airplay built-in. But what if you have a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t support Airplay? Don’t worry, there’s a way around it!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1. Your iPhone or iPad (of course!)

2. A Bluetooth speaker that you want to use with Airplay

3. A Wi-Fi network that both your Apple device and the Bluetooth speaker are connected to

Alright, now that we have everything we need, let’s get started!

Step 1: Connect your Bluetooth speaker to your Wi-Fi network. This step might vary depending on the speaker model, but usually, you’ll need to download a companion app for your speaker and follow the instructions to connect it to your Wi-Fi. Once it’s connected, make sure both your Apple device and the speaker are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Open the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. You can do this by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen on newer iPhones, or up from the bottom of the screen on older iPhones and iPads.

Step 3: In the Control Center, you’ll see a bunch of icons. Look for the one that looks like a triangle with circles around it. That’s the Airplay icon. Tap on it.

Step 4: After tapping on the Airplay icon, you’ll see a list of available devices. Hopefully, your Bluetooth speaker will show up in the list. If it does, great! Tap on it to select it.

Step 5: Once you’ve selected your Bluetooth speaker, you should start hearing the audio from your iPhone or iPad coming through the speaker. Voila! You’ve successfully Airplayed to a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t have built-in Airplay support.

Keep in mind that the audio quality might not be as good as it would be if you were using a speaker with native Airplay support. But hey, at least you’re able to enjoy your music on your Bluetooth speaker!

So, the next time someone tells you that you can’t Airplay to a Bluetooth speaker without Airplay, you can confidently say, “Yes, I can!” Thanks to this little workaround, you can now jam out to your favorite tunes on any Bluetooth speaker you want.

Enjoy your music, and happy Airplaying!

Streaming media from one device to another has never been easier. Many companies have their own special software to make it happen. Apple has a version called AirPlay, and in June 2018 they released the newest version, AirPlay 2.0.

Now you can stream media to lots of different devices. You can even play different media on more than one device on your network from the same source. But here’s the catch: if you try to use a device that Apple hasn’t certified, it won’t work.

This can be a pain if you’re trying to play music over your network on an unsupported Bluetooth speaker. While more and more devices are becoming compatible with AirPlay, there are still many devices made by manufacturers around the world that can’t talk to AirPlay right away. Thankfully, there’s a way around this.

What Can I Use to Send AirPlay?

If you have any Apple device from the last few years, it’s likely that it can stream using AirPlay. If it was made after 2011, you almost certainly have it as part of your operating system. It first came out in 2010 alongside iOS 4.2 (the latest version is iOS 12, with 13 coming soon).

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Portable devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch can all send AirPlay, as can Mac or Windows computers with iTunes and 4th Generation Apple TVs and the Apple TB 4K.

Why Don’t Some Devices Work with AirPlay?

Ever wondered why your Bluetooth speakers can’t be used with Apple’s AirPlay streaming service? Well, there are a few reasons for that. The first reason is Apple’s closed ecosystem and their approach to technology and applications. The second reason is something called Digital Rights Management, or DRM. But really, it all comes down to one thing: money.

Over the years, Apple has built a closed ecosystem, which is a departure from their co-founder Steve Wozniak’s original vision of independence. Despite that, this approach has been quite successful for them. Their devices work well together and are designed to encourage more sales of Apple products. In a way, it’s a clever marketing strategy.

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Now, let’s talk about DRM. Apple’s FairPlay encryption is used to protect the music purchased from iTunes (unless you choose the more expensive DRM-free version) and Apple Music, their answer to Spotify. This encryption ensures that only authorized devices can decrypt and play the files. So, if a device doesn’t have the right setup to decrypt these files, it won’t be able to play them.

How Can You Get AirPlay to Work on Speakers That Don’t Support It?

If you’re looking to stream your music to a Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t support AirPlay, I have a solution for you. It’s called Airfoil, and it comes with a mobile companion app called Airfoil Satellite. Developed by Rogue Amoeba Software, you can download it from their website for both Mac and Windows computers.

This program has a price tag of $29 if you buy it separately for either Mac or Windows. Alternatively, you can purchase a bundle for $40 that includes license keys for both platforms. Once you have the base software, you can use the companion app for free. For Linux users, there’s also a free version called Airfoil Speakers available for a number of distributions.

If you’re not ready to commit just yet, you can try a free trial. However, keep in mind that the trial version will only let you stream music for ten minutes before it plays noise over your transmission. It’s not ideal for long-term use, but it gives you a chance to see if it works for you before making a purchase. It can also work if you only want to play a couple of songs.

Setting up Airfoil is pretty straightforward. Once you have it installed, all you need to do is connect your Apple device and your Bluetooth speaker to your Mac or PC. Your computer will act as the middleman, decrypting the data from AirPlay and streaming it to your speakers.

If you’ve found another solution to make AirPlay work with unsupported speakers, please leave a comment below and let us know!