Quest doesn’t have AirPlay, but it’s not for the lack of trying. In a post on X, Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says the company is happy to do the “heavy lifting” on bringing Apple’s media streaming to Quest—if Apple will allow it.

John Carmack, legendary programmer and former CTO of Oculus, posted on X recently that while at Meta he “always wanted to get Apple AirPlay support on Meta Quest.” However he maintained Apple apparently “wouldn’t cooperate” with bringing its wireless streaming protocol, which allows streaming audio, video, and other media content from one device to another.

In response, Bosworth said this: “We are more than happy to do whatever heavy lifting is required to support it!”

That’s a big “if”. While AirPlay isn’t exclusive to Apple devices, as many Google TV and Android TV users can attest, it does require Meta to essentially enter into a partnership with Apple, which could be a first. Apple may be reluctant to ‘give away’ one of its big ecosystem benefits, especially while Meta has been ostensibly following Vision Pro’s lead by integrating a number of Vision Pro-style features on Quest, such as bringing native support for the spatial MV-HVEC video codec.

Such a partnership would typically include a licensing agreement, access to AirPlay SDK and documentation, and a submission process for testing and validation. Additionally, Apple usually requires manufacturers to regularly update the firmware on their devices to stay compatible with new versions of iOS, macOS, and tvOS, and to incorporate any updates to the AirPlay protocol.

Image courtesy Apple

It remains to be seen to what extent Apple would allow AirPlay support. On Vision Pro, users can not only cast media from their iOS and Mac devices to the headset, but also cast game sessions to AirPlay supported TVs so onlookers can follow along with the action—less likely since AirPlay sessions require Apple hardware to initiate. Still, that functionality is essentially covered by Meta’s own casting feature.

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In the meantime, there are some unofficial workarounds on Quest right now that include basic AirPlay support. The Skybox VR Video Player has an experimental feature for AirPlay, although casting and screen mirroring has mixed results.

Here’s a video, courtesy of YouTuber ‘The Construct’ that takes you through the ropes of getting AirPlay to work using the paid app on Quest.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    Giants always want keep everything to themselves. Meta is the exception, just like with the whole AI thing, where Meta is the leader in open-sourcing stuff.

    • ViRGiN

      Here's us typing into the void- nobody else here, and nobody else will read anything we type as we should be blocked. Are you masturbating whilst typing, only I know I am?

  • Christian Schildwaechter

    That's as disingenuous as Bosworth offering Google to sell PlayStore apps on Quest and keep the profits. They imply the problem is unwillingness on the other side, but forget to mention that Meta won't accept their license terms.

    The whole reason for throwing USD 100bn at XR was to escape the licence clutches of Apple and Google. The plan was to dominate a huge XR market by being first and selling hardware at cost, so developers would want to port Android or iOS apps to Quest, and Meta would no longer have to deal with Google or Apple. Unfortunatly 10mn active Quest users in 2024 are a magnitude below what they needed and probably expected after a decade of huge investments.

    AirPlay is licensed for 3rd party receivers, and HTC once sold a phone casting via AirPlay, otherwise reserved to iOS/MacOS devices. The AirPlay (Mirroring) protocols are proprietary, but not protected by copyright, and there are reverse engineered implementations for both AirPlay receivers and senders. Pico OS can mirror a PC, Mac, Android phone or iPhone, and nobody is stopping Meta from doing the "heavy lifting" now.

    This approach comes with the risk of changes and incompatibilities, which was also why Meta dropped Chromecast support from the Quest in early 2024, only to reintroduce it after protests. Unofficial support is possible/legal, but will cause more work, issues and complaints than a licensed version. Meta apparently doesn't want either, nor to cooperate, lack of market power just forces them to. So now they try to blameshift issues obvious a decade ago to the other side.

    • Shad Apkant

      Maybe they'd have more users if they hadn't spent millions on tripe like the "Metaverse" and actually created functional apps. How about VS code rendering in high enough fidelity to use? How about a functional Zoom-killer? No, can't have that. But here's Second Life without legs.

  • fcpw

    Why on Earth would Apple want to help sell someone else's headset when they can barely sell their own?