Apple Airplay lets you mirror your Apple device (iPhone, Macbook, etc.) on your TV screen. This is very useful when playing games or looking at phone pictures with family.
Most newer TVs come with a built-in Airplay feature, including the latest PHILIPS TVs.
Usually, connecting your Apple device to your PHILIPS TV via airplay is easy, but sometimes, your PHILIPS airplay might not work as expected.
The most common reason for Airplay not working on PHILIPS TV is that your TV and Apple device are on different Wifi networks. Make sure they are on the same network and try again.
If that doesn’t solve your issue and you can still not connect to PHILIPS airplay, I will list 11 different troubleshooting methods to solve the problem.
PHILIPS Airplay not working – possible reasons
Airplay is designed to work out of the box without any configuration or settings. However, for a few reasons, it might not work straight away.
Here are the top reasons you might be unable to connect to PHILIPS Airplay.
- Your PHILIPS TV & Apple device are on different Wifi networks (very likely)
- Airplay is not enabled in your PHILIPS settings
- Either of the devices has weak Wifi signals
- There is a software glitch in the modem, PHILIPS TV, or your Apple device.
- Your PHILIPS TV might not be Airplay compatible (very unlikely)
One or more of these reasons can stop your Apple device from connecting to your PHILIPS device.
Before we dig deep into troubleshooting methods, let’s see the proper way to initiate a connection with PHILIPS Airplay (if you have previously connected and know the process, you can skip this next part)
How to connect PHILIPS TV via Airplay?
If this is your first time using Airplay on your PHILIPS TV or stick, it’s quite easy and can be set up within 2 minutes.
First, ensure you have updated your PHILIPS to the latest available firmware because Airplay was unavailable on older versions.
Philips makes the latest models with either the Roku or Google TV platforms. Depending on which one you own, the instructions to use Airplay vary slightly.
Connecting Philips Roku TV via Airplay
If you are picking up your old PHILIPS TV from the garage or your PHILIPS stick, update it because Airplay is only available on Roku OS 9.4 or higher.
To check, go to Settings > System > Software update and update your firmware.
Once you update the firmware, you are ready for screen mirroring. Follow the below simple steps:
- Check and make sure both PHILIPS TV and Apple device are on the same Wifi network [important]
- From Home screen, go to Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit.
- From the Airplay screen, turn ON Airplay by clicking on it with your remote.
- Select “First time only” in the Require code section.
- On your iPhone, swipe down from the top bar, tap on the mirroring screen, and select your PHILIPS TV from the list.
- If you are on Macbook, go to System Preferences > Display, and from the drop-down at the bottom, select your PHILIPS TV as a display.
- Once you select the mirroring screen, a code will appear on your PHILIPS screen that you must enter on your iPhone or Macbook to connect.
- Viola, you are connected.
Every time you try to mirror your device, you just have to select your PHILIPS TV from your Apple device’s screen mirror device list.
Below is a quick video guide I made to explain the exact step-by-step.
How to solve PHILIPS Airplay not working?
If you follow the step-by-step process above to connect to your PHILIPS Airplay, it should work, but if you face issues, you can diagnose it step by step below.
1. Check if both devices are on the same Wifi
As discussed above, this is the most common issue with Airplay. If your devices are on two different networks, Airplay will simply not work.
Airplay works using your Wifi network, so both devices need to be on the same network.
If your home has multiple Wifi routers, this can be a common issue as you move around your Macbook or iPhone, it changes the Wifi network automatically.
To quickly check and confirm this, first check your Apple device network. You can quickly do this from the top menu bar.
For the PHILIPS TV, go to Settings > Network > About and check and ensure the network name is the same as on your Apple device.
2. Check if Airplay is enabled
If this is your first time using Airplay, perhaps you have not enabled Airplay from the PHILIPS settings.
If Airplay is turned OFF from this setting area, you won’t see your PHILIPS TV in your Apple device list. You have to enable this first.
To do this, go to Settings > Apple AirPlay and Homekit and from the settings, click AirPlay to turn it ON (if its OFF)
Once you turn this setting ON, check if you are now able to find your PHILIPS TV in your available device list in the screen mirror app.
3. Restart your PHILIPS TV
You might have heard of “have you tried turning it OFF & ON again” from an IT guy in your office as an answer to any computer-related problem.
It is a simple solution that fixes most basic electronic issues. It is also called power cycling your electronic device.
If your PHILIPS Airplay is not working, this is one of the first things you should try. Just turn it OFF & ON again. 90% chance is that it will fix the issue.
Power cycling your PHILIPS device is easy. Just unplug your device from the power and remove the HDMI. Wait for 60 seconds to let all the internal capacitors to discharge. Plug in the device again and restart.
Once the restart is complete, try using the Airplay and see if the issue has been resolved.
4. Restart your Router
Sometimes, the problem is neither your PHILIPS TV nor your Apple device but your network router.
The router might develop a glitch and prevent your connection from going through.
To restart your router, just unplug it from the socket, wait for 30 seconds and replug it. The router will restart fresh.
Wait for the router to establish a connection, and then try Airplay if it works.
5. Check your Wifi signal strength
As discussed earlier, AirPlay uses your Wifi network to share your screen with the TV. For it to work properly, the Wifi network must be strong on your TV and your Apple device.
On your Apple device, check if you have at least 2 bars of Wifi. On your PHILIPS device, you can check Wifi signal strength by going to Settings > Network > About and checking signal strength (marked in the picture below)
If any of your devices have a poor connection, that can affect your Airplay connection and performance.
For better performance, move the Wifi router closer to your room with fewer hindrances in between.
6. Check your firewall settings
Your Apple device has a firewall setting that stops unwanted incoming connections that can access your system.
This firewall performs a critical security job but also can disrupt your Airplay connection.
To turn the firewall OFF, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall and turn it OFF.
7. Reset your Network connection
If restarting your router and turning off the firewall didn’t help, perhaps a network reset would help.
When you reset your Wifi network, the TV will forget your network name (SSID), remove any configurations, and restart.
To reset your network connection go to Settings > Advanced system settings > Network connection reset and reset your network.
Once restarted, you will have to connect the PHILIPS TV to the network again by re-entering your Wifi password.
8. Update PHILIPS firmware
Some problems are tracked back to the PHILIPS’s firmware, and updating to the latest firmware version should fix these issues.
Check if you are on the latest version of PHILIPS’s firmware. You will get a prompt to update your device if you are not.
To check, just go to Settings > System > Software update and update your firmware.
If the firmware was an issue, this should fix the Airplay not connecting issue.
Also, if you have an older version of PHILIPS TV or stick, do note that Airplay is only available on PHILIPS OS version 9.4 or higher.
You have to update to the latest version before you can enable Airplay.
9. Reset paired devices
Connecting your Apple device to your PHILIPS Airplay requires a one-time code to enter into your Apple device to connect. After that, your device is ‘paired’ and won’t need the code.
In the following troubleshooting method, we will reset the paired device and do the process again so that any glitches in the pairing are resolved.
To reset the pairing, go to Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit > Require Code > Reset Paired Devices.
When you reset paired devices, all the paired devices connected to the PHILIPS TV will be forgotten and start fresh.
Now, try pairing your Apple device again and see if it can find the PHILIPS TV from the screen mirror list.
10. Factory reset your PHILIPS TV
Factory resetting your device will restore the default settings and make it new, like it came out from the box.
Most software glitches are solved by a factory reset, and it is done as a last resort when everything else fails.
If the above steps don’t solve your Airplay issue, a factory reset can help.
You can reset your PHILIPS device by checking its back and looking for any button or pinhole with the word “Reset” written above or on it.
The button may be very small, so look for it carefully or check the device’s manual.
Press & hold the Reset button for about 10 seconds until the device’s light blinks. Once it’s done, set up your device again.
If you have PHILIPS TV, you can reset it using the settings menu. To do so, follow the below steps:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Scroll down and go to General Settings
- Inside the General Settings, find Factory Settings
- Confirm the reset
Your PHILIPS TV will restart and go through the factory reset process, which can take a few minutes.
Once complete, your device will be reset back to factory defaults, and your issue will be solved.
Do note that all your customizations, additional downloaded apps, and data will be entirely wiped out after a factory reset. Make sure you back up your important data if you need it later.
Factory reset will also fix other common PHILIPS issues, like audio getting out of sync and the screen returning a green tint.
11. Contact PHILIPS Support
The above troubleshooting list covers almost every possible scenario, and if your PHILIPS airplay is still not working, perhaps it’s time to pick up the phone and call PHILIPS Support.
In case of a hardware malfunction, you will need a qualified PHILIPS technical team to help repair your unit.
You can give Philips US a call using the below phone number.
1-866-309-3263
(Monday – Saturday 9am-9pm EST. Sunday 9am-6pm EST)
You can also chat with their customer support representative HERE.
You can also find helpful content on the Apple support forum about Airplay issues and common fixes.
Airplay not working on PHILIPS – final words
This detailed guide covers the most common issues and fixes when your PHILIPS TV airplay is not working.
To correct the issue, start with the most basic fixes, like updating your software and checking if the networks are the same, and then move your way down to more serious steps like resetting your devices and re-pairing.
If none of them work (which is very rare), then consider contacting PHILIPS or your TV support team and get technical help.
Happy mirroring :)