Gary i

Q: airplay randomly kicking in

Hi.

I have a yamaha amp for surround duties which has airplay built in, handy on the very rare occasions I want it.

 

however when trying to play music from my mini into my main hifi via optical it sometimes randomly decides its going to play from airplay.

 

This is an issue accross my devices, I think osx for what ever reason in a split second cannot find or use optical so decides to default to airplay.

 

I absolutley want this behaviour to stop, for me it should be a simple case of disabling airplay in OSX, but cannot find any method to do so, is there like a terminal command or something to make OSX ignore airplay?

Posted on Jan 18, 2014 3:03 AM

Close

Q: airplay randomly kicking in

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next
  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jan 18, 2014 12:26 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 9 (73,672 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 18, 2014 12:26 PM in response to Gary i

    Apple support article with instructions on turning it off.

     

    AirPlay Mirroring - About

  • by Gary i,

    Gary i Gary i Jan 18, 2014 12:53 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 5 (6,198 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 18, 2014 12:53 PM in response to Eric Root

    Hi, its not airplay mirroring, its airplay audio.

     

    Its the mac mini Outputting audio to airplay instead of optical out I am having issues with.

  • by Kingoftypos,

    Kingoftypos Kingoftypos Jan 18, 2014 4:57 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 3 (757 points)
    Jan 18, 2014 4:57 PM in response to Gary i

    What do you mean by this?

    "This is an issue accross my devices, I think osx for what ever reason in a split second cannot find or use optical so decides to default to airplay."?

     

    If it's accorring across all if your devices, then wouldn't it be logical to look at the AVR?

     

    KOT

  • by Gary i,

    Gary i Gary i Jan 19, 2014 12:49 AM in response to Kingoftypos
    Level 5 (6,198 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2014 12:49 AM in response to Kingoftypos

    Hi there.

     

    I have 3 macs in the house and all of them display the same issue, occasionally they will randomly pick airplay to output from and not the default output.

     

    its not the AVR, thats just a dumb device waiting for a signal. I need the macs to stop randomly picking airplay for output.

  • by Kingoftypos,

    Kingoftypos Kingoftypos Jan 19, 2014 8:13 AM in response to Gary i
    Level 3 (757 points)
    Jan 19, 2014 8:13 AM in response to Gary i

    I myself have 2 Mac Minis, '11 and '12. Neither of them randomly chooses my Pioneer VSX-53.

     

    Although I do have to admit if I were to leave my iTunes set to Airplay to the Pioneer. I stop the music by turning off the AVR. Leave the house, then come back hours later, press play on iTunes. The AVR automatically turns on and starts playing the music. The first time freaked me out because I thought that I turned Airplay off.

     

    How do you have your Macs hooked up to an audio source? Both of mine are hooked up to a set of powered speakers, on their own desk. Which are plugged into the headphone jack.

     

    KOT

  • by Gary i,

    Gary i Gary i Jan 19, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Kingoftypos
    Level 5 (6,198 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Kingoftypos

    I mac is connected to Music Fidelity USB to SPDIF Asyncronus convertor then to a dac connected to a HIFI. Its also connected via digitial out into a Yammy surround amp

     

    Another mac is connected via optical out to peice of hifi that accepts digital input

     

    Another is ocnencted via USB to Soundticks.

     

    All of these macs can see the yammy as an airplay device, and will randomly pick it.

     

    Ideally I just dont want airplay available to the macs, for me airplay is of limited functionaly but on the rare occasions I use it, it would be from an iphone or ipad.

  • by Kingoftypos,

    Kingoftypos Kingoftypos Jan 19, 2014 1:35 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 3 (757 points)
    Jan 19, 2014 1:35 PM in response to Gary i

    I don't have any of those connections, or the ability to. Just don't have the cables. For me, the Sound selection is separated...

     

    Screen Shot 2014-01-19 at 4.15.37 PM.png

    Since I have a headphone plugged into the port. I can not choose Display Audio via USB, which belongs to the Apple Cinema display. If I were to try to select it, the blue highlight will bounce back to the headphones. However, I still can select either the AppleTV or VSX-53 avr. I rarely do though, no point for me.

     

    However like I've said I've used the VSX-53 to stream my iTunes music. (But this isn't your problem, right?)

    Screen Shot 2014-01-19 at 4.20.25 PM.png

     

    In iTunes I can select just one, in this case the Mac Mini, or all three devices. When I select the VSX-53, if it's off it'll switch ON and tune to the proper input. If ON, it'll still tune into the proper input. If I were to enable only the VSX-53, I still have the ability to turn the AVR off when I am done and what not. iTunes pauses the music and no more action is taken. When I come back home or whatever, I press play. The VSX-53 turns on and tunes to the proper input. (This is what I meant by my previous post).

     

    With that said. I just went to my Sound settings and select the VSX-53 as my main audio producer for the entire Mac Mini, not just iTunes. I am able to control the volume up/down as well as mute via my keyboard, just as if nothing changed. My AVR shows the volume change as well as the mute.

     

    Lets say nothing is playing, no music, video or whatever. I change inputs on the AVR or turn it off. The Mac Mini doesn't change to my headphones. It'll stay on the Airplay, so as soon as I press play for iTunes. My AVR will automatically tune in. If however something is playing, like iTunes, and I switch off the AVR or switch inputs. The Mac Mini will default back to the headphone jack.

     

    Hopefully that gave you some ideas on what is going on. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to switch over to using the headphone jack. Rather than the USB to digital to DA or the digital output to the device that accepts the ditial input. At least try that for testing to see if the problem goes away.

     

    KOT

  • by Gary i,

    Gary i Gary i Jan 19, 2014 2:15 PM in response to Kingoftypos
    Level 5 (6,198 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2014 2:15 PM in response to Kingoftypos

    Thanks for having a check on yours. For me I have the yamaha at the bottom of the sound prefes like you do for your appletv.

     

    Above there is two other choices, in built, i.e. the little speaker in the mini, or built in speakers on the imac,  and optical output.

     

    What is happening is although I have optical selected for output, and indeed it works on this 90% of the time. Sometimes, inexplicably it goes to airplay.

     

    Optical is available and connected. But I think the mac is somehow not seeing it for a split second therefore it selects the airplay. If i then manualy put it back to optical all if fine, and I do have to do it manually it will not play out of optical again until I do so.

     

    Of course in the mean time, the kids in the house watching tv with audio going through the yammy suddenly get a stint of frank zappa or the floyd!

     

     

     

    PLease note, its not particualry an issue of itunes, it can happen with any application including plex and radium.

  • by Kingoftypos,

    Kingoftypos Kingoftypos Jan 19, 2014 2:26 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 3 (757 points)
    Jan 19, 2014 2:26 PM in response to Gary i

    I wonder if the Mac doesn't see your device that has the optical output for when it's turned off, or on another input. Or in the process of doing either one.

     

    Even though the opitcal should only be a 1-way cable. Test it out, open your Sound settings and start playing around with the device that you are hooked up to. Turn it off, back on, select a different input and what not. Does the Sound setting do anything? If so, what does it do? Also close all windows/apps and what not. But leave the Sound settings open. Reboot the Mac with the "Reopen windows when logging back in" checked, so that the Sound settings will open back up once turned on. Leave the audio device turned on, then reboot with the audio device turned off. Is there a slight indication there's a change in the Sound settings?

     

    KOT

  • by Gary i,

    Gary i Gary i Jan 19, 2014 2:32 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 5 (6,198 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2014 2:32 PM in response to Gary i

    Yea I'll give it a go.

     

    thing is the hifi they are connected to is always on.

     

    Infact when the mac changes output to airplay it turns on the yammy if its off!

  • by bzzlink,

    bzzlink bzzlink Feb 21, 2015 12:32 AM in response to Gary i
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 21, 2015 12:32 AM in response to Gary i

    I have a similar problem. Never had it before, but it turned up when I installed Yosemite.

     

    Have a late 2012 Mac mini, connected to Yahama HTR-4065 with HDMI.

     

    This issue has been driving me nuts. Here is my theory: Whenever I set the receiver to another input, so the mac mini loses its hdmi handshake, it starts connectin over airplay. Disrupting whatever I'm doing on my Apple TV and/or making my receiver change to airplay input.

     

    When I change the audio output on the mac mini to internal speakers again, all is well across the land.

  • by globetrotter33m,

    globetrotter33m globetrotter33m Apr 22, 2015 8:34 AM in response to bzzlink
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 22, 2015 8:34 AM in response to bzzlink

    I'm having this issue with Yosemite too. My Macbook randomly turns on and starts playing to an Airplay-enabled Yamaha receiver. This is a recent issue. Have had the receiver for a few years.

     

    Thing is, I *never* want the Macbook to play to the receiver. Is there a simple fix to make it forget the receiver completely?

     

    Macbook Pro: v 10.10.2

    Yamaha RX-v673

     

    This is how it should be. Sometimes, seemingly randomly, the output will switch to the row at the bottom and turn on the receiver (which is in a different room)...help

    Screen Shot 2015-04-22 at 8.32.26 AM.png

  • by familiefar,

    familiefar familiefar Apr 25, 2015 11:01 PM in response to globetrotter33m
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 25, 2015 11:01 PM in response to globetrotter33m

    I have the same issue. Mac mini (late 2010 running latest Yosemite) as media center connected to Harman Kardon (AVR-171) via HDMI. On random occasions, the amplifier turns into airplay and turns down the volume completely. It seems to be more often when I start up Plex (could be, that the mini for a split second 'looses' the HDMI handshake as described above. Then, picks airplay as output). I then need to switch the receiver off and on, turn to the right source and put up the volume - then it works. But my wife complains a lot and I am not too happy.

     

    As I would never want to use airplay from my Macs, it would be helpful if it was possible to turn this off in Yosemite.

  • by Nabeel_co,

    Nabeel_co Nabeel_co May 14, 2015 10:55 PM in response to Gary i
    Level 1 (10 points)
    May 14, 2015 10:55 PM in response to Gary i

    I am also having this issue in my office. There are about 500 people in the office and a good 30 airplay devices, and it happens to several people a day.

     

    I actually created this post to see if anyone else had this problem: Yosemite changing audio output to airplay at random

     

    From that Post:

     

    We have an office of several hundred Macs, most running 10.10.3, as well as about 30 or so Airplay devices

     

     

    It seems that for some people, every once in a while, Yosemite will at random seem to either change audio devices, or connect to a random Airplay device that it's connected to before.

     

    This usually happens to me when waking from sleep, but has also happened to other people.

     

     

    Anyone else experienced this? It's a little worrisome that Yosemite might send audio to a random Airplay device/speaker somewhere in the office, especially if you are using your computer for a confidential call or video chat.

     

     

    Any solutions yet?

Page 1 Next