Gotechtor select and review products independently. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

AirPlay Not Working on Samsung TV? (Try this FIX!)

Updated on

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Gotechtor's Editorial Guidelines

While having AirPlay not working on your Samsung TV can be particularly annoying, the good news is that the solutions for addressing this problem are simple, and it’s almost always a software issue or a network issue.

There are a few fixes that have been confirmed to work with malfunctioning AirPlay, so read on to find a way to get this problem resolved.

AirPlay Not Working on Samsung TV

If AirPlay is not working on your Samsung TV, you need to make sure AirPlay is enabled on your TV. To do this, navigate to Settings (All Settings), select General (on 2022 models and the Freestyle projector select Connection), and then select Apple AirPlay Settings. From here, you can turn on the feature.

It’s important to keep in mind that these steps can also help you troubleshoot when screen mirroring is not working on Samsung TVs.

Make Sure Your Samsung TV Supports AirPlay

Before we start troubleshooting, make sure that your Samsung TV supports the Apple AirPlay feature. This isn’t true for all Samsung TVs, particularly older models or ones with outdated software versions.

If you have used AirPlay on it before, it clearly works, and we can move on to the troubleshooting steps.

Restart Your Samsung TV

While it may seem elementary, restarting your Samsung TV can clear a lot of software bugs and issues. The key is to be patient.

You need to unplug your Samsung TV and wait a full minute before plugging it back in. While the set is unplugged, hold down the TV’s power button (on the set, not the remote) for 30 seconds.

This is a way to drain the residual power on the TV and trigger a soft reset. After waiting 60 seconds, plug the TV back in and try AirPlay again to see if it works. If it still doesn’t work, restart your Apple device as well and try again.

Make Sure All Devices Are on the Same Network

For AirPlay to work, all the devices need to be connected to the same network. If one of the devices (Apple device or TV) is not in the WiFi network, AirPlay will not work.

Interestingly, since more modern routers have dual-band signals, your devices can theoretically be connected to two different networks, even if they are connected to the same router. 

While having two networks allows different devices to operate on their own bandwidth, the problem is that this sometimes means the two devices do not see each other.

Having this setup can interfere with the functionality of AirPlay, so while two networks give flexibility and better performance by one network not being overloaded, it isn’t ideal for AirPlay usage. 

To confirm if they’re on the same network, follow the steps below:

  1. Tap Source on the remote.
  2. Navigate to the Settings menu via the gear icon on the bottom left.
  3. Click the General menu.
  4. Then select Network, and finally Network Status. Compare this to the indicator of where your device is connected to. 

Is AirPlay Enabled on Your Samsung TV?

While AirPlay is typically enabled by default, your TV may have it disabled, especially if you have recently reset your TV.

Here’s how to check if AirPlay is enabled on your Samsung TV:

  1. Press the Home button on your Samsung remote.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Select General.
  4. Scroll down until you get to the Apple AirPlay Settings option, at which point you can verify that AirPlay is enabled.

If it isn’t, simply toggle it to On. If it’s already enabled, try to turn it off, then turn it back on to see if it helps the functionality work.

Is There a Firewall Issue?

Some devices are set up to use a firewall that could prevent the device from connecting to the Samsung TV via AirPlay.

You can disable some of the connection blocking from the firewall or shut it off entirely to see if AirPlay works. This is particularly an issue when using Mac’s iOS to cast to the TV. 

To make the necessary adjustments:

  • Navigate to the System Preferences menu
  • Next, go to Security and Privacy menu.
  • Select the Firewall option.
  • There you can either uncheck the option to Block All Incoming Connections or disable the firewall entirely. 

Update Your Samsung TV’s Operating System (Firmware)

The problem may be with an outdated OS system, so updating it can resolve the issue with using AirPlay.

To update your Samsung TV, go to the Settings menu, click on Support, select Software Update, and choose to Update Now.

If an update is available, it will download and install right then and there. Once the update completes, check to see if the firmware update has repaired the AirPlay issue.

Disable Auto Protection Time

If your Samsung TV has Auto Protection Time set to protect your screen from burning in an image when something is on screen for a long time, it could prevent AirPlay from working.

If you do not leave your TV paused for lengthy time periods, you do not need the Auto Protection Time feature set.

So you can disable it by going to the General tab in Settings and navigating to System Manager. Find the Auto Protection Time option, and disable it, then try AirPlay again.

Reboot Your Router

Your router can also be the reason why AirPlay is not working on your Samsung TV.

restart wi-fi router
Reboot Wi-Fi router. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

It’d be a good idea to reset your router because it frequently resolves network issues and can also enhance your connection in general.

Simply unplug your router from the wall outlet, wait around 60 seconds, and then plug it back in. Your network’s devices will all immediately reconnect, and hopefully, AirPlay will function.

We’d also recommend you reset the network connection on your Apple device as well. The “Reset Network Options” option is conveniently located in your phone’s connectivity settings.

Access the Reset Network Settings option under Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Reset on iPhones.

Reset Paired Devices

If AirPlay is still not working on your Samsung TV, you’re going to reset the paired devices.

In order to do this, click the HOME button on your Samsung TV remote and then select “Settings.”

Go to General, then Apple AirPlay settings. Scroll down to Reset Paired Devices and select the Require Code option.

This will remove all previously connected devices, therefore you’ll need to reconnect them. When you’re having problems with AirPlay, it occasionally helps.

Reset the Samsung’s Smart Hub to the Factory Settings

Samsung’s Smart TV comes with the Samsung Smart Hub that lets you download third-party apps, and if it’s corrupt, AirPlay may not work with your TV.

reset Samsung TV Smart Hub
Factory reset Samsung TV Smart Hub. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

If this is the case, resetting the Samsung Smart Hub to its default settings may help fix the Airplay problem.

  • Open the Settings menu on the Samsung TV and choose Support.
  • Select Device Care, then choose Self Diagnostics.
  • Choose the Reset Smart Hub option and enter your TV pin (the fault pin is: 0000).

Check if your Samsung TV works with Airplay after resetting the Smart Hub to the defaults.

Factory Reset your Samsung TV

A factory reset of your TV may be necessary as a last option to resolve the problem. This is a complete do-over, as the factory reset will restore your TV to its factory settings.

To factory reset your Samsung TV, follow the steps below:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go General.
  3. Select Reset, enter your PIN (0000 is the default)
  4. Then select Reset.
  5. To complete the reset, select OK. Your TV will restart automatically.

After resetting your Samsung TV, AirPlay should now work fine. If it’s still not working, then your TV probably doesn’t support the AirPlay feature.

Wrap-Up: AirPlay Not Working on Samsung TV

There you have it–our step-by-step guide to fix it when AirPlay is not working on your Samsung TV.

Remember not to panic when this problem happens because you can get AirPlay working again on your Samsung TV by trying the following fixes: 

  • Make sure your Samsung TV supports AirPlay
  • Restart your Samsung TV (unplug from power for 60 seconds)
  • Make sure your Samsung TV and Apple device are on the same WiFi network
  • Ensure that you’ve enabled AirPlay on your Samsung TV
  • Disable your computer’s firewall
  • Update your Samsung TV software
  • Disable Auto Protection Time
  • Reboot your router
  • Reset paired AirPlay devices and reconnect
  • Reset the Samsung’s Smart Hub to the Factory Settings
  • Factory reset your Samsung TV

I hope this assisted you in making AirPlay not work on your Samsung TV. In case you fixed the problem with any other solution, please do share it in the comments section.

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Herby Jasmin

's latest stories

Leave a Comment

Be kind. Ask questions. Discriminatory language, personal attacks, promotion, and spam will be removed. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.