Submitted by Bob Bhatnagar on
The ability to stream music from your iPhone directly to speakers or an AirPlay-enabled device like the Apple TV is one of the perks of iOS. Some music apps, like Pandora, include a handy AirPlay button that makes turning on streaming simple. So how do you get other music playing applications on the iPhone to use AirPlay?
Just because the app developer didn't include the AirPlay button directly in the app interface doesn't mean you're out of business. Apple has included a default AirPlay switch in iOS along with volume controls on the multitasking dock. Accessing AirPlay from any music app is possible as long as your AirPlay-compatible devices are properly configured on your Wi-Fi network.
To enable AirPlay first double-click the home button to bring up the multitasking dock. Swiping from left to right will move past recently used app icons to the controls pictured on the right above. The currently activated music app will appear on the right of the screen, with the rotation lock button on the opposite side. Music playing controls are in the center.
One more swipe from left to right brings up the AirPlay controls. A volume slider and silver AirPlay button will occupy the dock in this section (pictured on the left above). Tap the AirPlay button and a list of available AirPlay-enabled devices on your network will appear. Once you select one of these devices the iPhone will be set up to stream audio from any music app you decide to use.
If you follow these instructions and the AirPlay icon does not appear, check to see why AirPlay is not appearing on your iPhone. It's possible that your AirPlay devices are not turned on or properly connected to the Wi-Fi network. For those iPhone owners with a first generation Apple TV, you're out of luck because this model does not support AirPlay.