Apple has made yet more improvements to AirPlay in iOS 8 by enabling compatible devices to make direct connections with each other for content streaming. This eliminates AirPlay’s reliance on a Wi-Fi network and fixes one of its biggest limitations.
In previous versions of iOS — including the latest iOS 7.1.1 release — all of your devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to partake in AirPlay streaming. You couldn’t stream music from your iPad to your iPhone while on the train, then, and you couldn’t stream video from an iPhone to an Apple TV in a hotel that doesn’t offer Wi-Fi (not that you’d ever think about staying in a hotel that doesn’t have Wi-Fi).
But in iOS 8, AirPlay catches up with rival streaming technologies like DLNA by allowing direct device connections. So your Mac, iPhone, Apple TV, and other AirPlay devices can talk to each other without a middleman. In turn, this should mean that AirPlay streaming is snappier and more reliable, which is great news for those who use it to play games on their TV.
Apple sees this as an important change for enterprise users. “With iOS 8, you can wirelessly connect iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to Apple TV without first connecting to the organization’s network,” the Cupertino company says on its website. “Which means you can present or share your work even if you’re offline or the organization has a complex network.”
It’s a small improvement, but it’s one that will make Apple’s already excellent streaming service even better.