HT204289: How to AirPlay content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Learn about How to AirPlay content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
donbrennen

Q: Can't stream from iPad or Macbook Pro to Apple TV

I can't stream video or audio from my Macbook Pro or iPad to Apple TV. It used to work but I haven't used Apple TV with my iPad or Macbook for several months. Software for the Macbook Pro, Apple TV and iPad is current and all 3 devices are logged onto the same WiFi. Home Sharing is enabled. All 3 devices are logged into iTunes with the same Apple ID. Airplay does not appear in Control Center on my iPad and I do not get the Airplay symbol on the computer or iPad when using iTunes or any other app. I tried restarting the Apple TV and even restoring factory defaults. What am I missing?

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Dec 25, 2013 6:57 PM

Close

Q: Can't stream from iPad or Macbook Pro to Apple TV

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by MareeB,

    MareeB MareeB Dec 25, 2013 8:25 PM in response to donbrennen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 25, 2013 8:25 PM in response to donbrennen

    I have the same problem as "donbrennen": despite software updates to  my MacBookPro, iPhone and Apple TV, i've been unable to steam music or video from my my MacBook Pro to our Apple TV box. Music comes through ever 2 seconds.It works fine with my iPhone, oddly enough , but no luck with my computer. (Home Sharing is enabled, and all devices are logged into iTunes.) I've been experimenting with my iPhone and again, it's Airplay is working just fine.

    Any ideas how to fix this? (Don, this is just another reiteration of what you're dealing with. . .)

  • by donbrennen,

    donbrennen donbrennen Dec 26, 2013 6:08 AM in response to MareeB
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2013 6:08 AM in response to MareeB

    Apparently a lot of folks are having this same problem. I've followed all the troubleshooting steps without success. When I select "Computers" on the Apple TV, none of my computers or devices are listed, It says I need to enable home sharing. Home Sharing is definately enabled on all my devices and each device is logged into iTunes with the same Apple ID. This is really frustrating. Why is Apple so mute about this?

  • by Winston Churchill,

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Dec 26, 2013 6:26 AM in response to donbrennen
    Level 10 (104,363 points)
    Apple TV
    Dec 26, 2013 6:26 AM in response to donbrennen
  • by donbrennen,

    donbrennen donbrennen Dec 26, 2013 7:00 AM in response to Winston Churchill
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2013 7:00 AM in response to Winston Churchill

    Thank you Mr. Churchil, I'll give these a try later tonight but I'm not very hopeful. I'm willing to try anything but I don't believe the problem is with my Wi-Fi. I am able to access the internet via Wi-Fi from all my devices. When I purchase an album using iTunes using one device, the purchase is available on all devices. The problem seems to be that Apple TV cannot discover devices using the same Apple ID and the Airplay icon is not available on my iPad or Macbook Pro.

  • by MareeB,

    MareeB MareeB Dec 26, 2013 7:44 AM in response to Winston Churchill
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2013 7:44 AM in response to Winston Churchill

    ditto to Don's reply. Wi-Fi  here is fine. could there be something in system preferences we're missing that's keeping  the MacBookPro from  transmitting to the AppleTV? All tthe troubleshooting of WiFi  has yielded nothing.

  • by Winston Churchill,Helpful

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Dec 26, 2013 7:50 AM in response to donbrennen
    Level 10 (104,363 points)
    Apple TV
    Dec 26, 2013 7:50 AM in response to donbrennen

    Your Apple TV is exactly the same as mine, it can't be customised like other devices, other than corruption, which is easily corrected by reset or restore, the only difference between my set up (which works) and yours (which doesn't) is your network (which includes settings on your router and computer and other software that might affect them).

  • by donbrennen,

    donbrennen donbrennen Dec 27, 2013 9:07 PM in response to Winston Churchill
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2013 9:07 PM in response to Winston Churchill

    I'm convinced now that my Wi-Fi is the problem. I noticed after buying a cd in iTunes that the Airplay icon appeared for a little while. It worked but was very slow and spotty. I ran a hard line from my router to my Apple TV and everything works fine now, including wireless Airplay and mirroring from my iPad and MacBook. Thank you for your help.

  • by Winston Churchill,

    Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Dec 28, 2013 6:55 AM in response to donbrennen
    Level 10 (104,363 points)
    Apple TV
    Dec 28, 2013 6:55 AM in response to donbrennen

    Intermittent problems are often a result of interference. Interference can be caused by other networks in the neighbourhood or from household electrical items.

     

    You can download and install iStumbler (NetStumbler for windows users) to help you see which channels are used by neighbouring networks so that you can avoid them, but iStumbler will not see household items.

     

    Refer to your router manual for instructions on changing your wifi channel or adjusting your multicast rate.

     

    There are other types of problems that can affect networks, but this is by far the most common, hence worth mentioning first. Networks that have inherent issues can be seen to work differently with different versions of the same software. You might also try moving the Apple TV away from other electrical equipment.