Netflix Killed Airplay Support. Here’s Why.

With no warning and little explanation, Netflix has removed the easiest way to sling its shows from one Apple device to another: AirPlay. Sources at The Verge report that it pulled the wireless casting feature this past week, due to what it’s calling a “technical limitation.” But it’s not the kind of technical limitation you’d think.

It seems that Apple recently partnered with most of the major TV brands to allow AirPlay 2 to send shows directly to their 2019 TV sets with a firmware update later this year, but a Netflix spokesperson reported that AirPlay 2 doesn’t have digital identifiers to let Netflix tell those TVs apart — and so the company can’t certify its users are getting the best Netflix experience when casting to those new sets. “We can’t distinguish which device is which, we can’t actually certify the devices… so we’ve had to just shut down support for it,” the company’s spokesperson says.

To be clear, that means Apple TV set-top box users can no longer cast Netflix, either. Yes, the whole thing has gone kaput.

Here’s the company’s official statement:

We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn’t a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn’t) or certify these experiences. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue Netflix AirPlay support to ensure our standard of quality for viewing is being met. Members can continue to access Netflix on the built-in app across Apple TV and other devices.

It’s a little weird and misleading, though, because this isn’t a situation where the technology doesn’t work — apparently it just doesn’t look quite as nice as Netflix wanted, and Netflix, Apple and the TV manufacturers can’t be bothered to fix it.

Maybe Netflix wasn’t prepared for a new wave of AirPlay 2-enabled TVs, and can’t justify spending the technical resources to upgrade its AirPlay implementation to support them properly. Maybe it’s Apple or Samsung, LG, Vizio and company who can’t justify the spend to fix the “limitation.” Maybe Netflix will even reinstate support after things get figured out, though a spokesperson told The Verge “that the ball is in Apple’s court now.” Apple declined to comment.

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