Latest news with #AirPlay
Tom's Guide
2 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Marshall Heston 120 Soundbar review: Rock n' roll styling meets movie magic
Price: $999/£899Colors: BlackSize: H x 2.9" D x 5.7" W x 43.3" Weight: 15.5 poundsConnectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet, HDMI, AirPlay 2, RCA,USB-CBluetooth range: up to 30 feet (9 m)Custom EQ: YesVoice assistant: NoSurround: 5.1.2Multi-speaker connectivity: Yes The Marshall Heston 120 has a tough job on its hands. It not only has to prove that Marshall has the chops to live under your TV in the form of a multi-channel soundbar, but that it can do it better than any of the other options you can buy for a similar price. It seems that Marshall pulled its suspenders on, slapped its ripped jeans, and grabbed some pretty impressive sound gear from its gig bag to make its new soundbar a success. The Heston 120 is a very impressive soundbar to rival the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra with a pair of built-in subwoofer drivers, excellent repairability, and that unique style that just screams 'crank it to 11.' To find out if it's going to land a place on our list of the best soundbars, I've lived with the soundbar for the last few weeks — and now I've come to my verdict: The Heston 120 is an excellent alternative to the competition, albeit with a couple of caveats for some users. Here's the whole Heston 120 story. What is it? Rock 'n roll soundbar from the kings of the genreWhat does it cost? $999/£899Who is it for? People looking for a new soundbar that looks the part, with top-notch inputs and great musical soundWhat do we like? Its sense of style, sound quality for movies and music, and its significant bassy rumble from its pair of sub driversWhat don't we like? It's expensive, and some might not appreciate its 'in your face' style At $999 / £899, the Heston 120 has been positioned against the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra ($999 / £999), Samsung's latest flagship soundbars, and other premium surround options from JBL like the JBL BAR 1300X. In order to justify that price the Heston is built like a tank, features a unique, rock 'n roll-inspired design, and packs in some audio goodies for music lovers just as much as movie buffs. But that doesn't stop it from being in a precarious position, given that it doesn't quite offer the same surround options as the Sonos or the included subwoofer of Samsung's bars. In order to compete, the Marshall relies on its looks and musical tuning. Make no mistake, it is worth every one of the one thousand dollars it costs, but it joins a very crowded space. Marshall's home audio division has become known for a certain style: amp-like speakers and headphones, covered with premium fabric and brass accents. Expect control knobs galore, and a punk-rock attitude. The Heston 120 stretches that design out to fit a large TV stand, retaining all the key elements of the marque's house style — rugged endplates that look ready to hit the road on tour, a fabric mesh that would look at home on stage with Slash, and the all-important brass logo to top things off. The bronze colored control knobs on top wrap up the design, and I think it looks great. It's not going to fit into every single living room style because of its unique style, but it nails its audio credentials to the mast like little else. Going back to the size of the soundbar. You're going to need a big TV, and a large TV stand to boot. It's shorter than the Samsung soundbar options or the Sonos Arc Ultra by a fraction of an inch, but it makes up for it in depth. Make sure you do some measurements before buying to make sure that it fits — things were tight on my unit between my Samsung S90D, and even with an older TV on a larger stand. You can wall mount the soundbar with brackets sold separately if you have your TV hanging, although make sure you use beefy enough screws if you do. The soundbar is one of the heaviest I've tested, coming in at 15.5 lbs — 2 pounds more than the Arc Ultra. Build quality is excellent, with premium fabric making up the grille and excellent material choices all around. Even better is the potential for repair. Break something, and I'm told you'll be able to find parts like the end plates, grilles, and even internal components like drivers available to buy on the Marshall website, should you want to replace them yourself. You can even send the broken parts to Marshall to be recycled as well, which is a nice bonus. First off, while the Heston 120 is a WiFi-connected soundbar, it's not really a smart soundbar. There's no voice control support, so you'll be left changing the volume with your TV remote, on-device volume knob, or the new Marshall app. Beyond a lack of voice support, the only other connectivity option you're missing is an optical port — and given that it's 2025 and optical ports are ancient history to all but the most dedicated fans of data transmitted over laser, it's no great loss. Because, other than that? The Heston's inputs and outputs are better than just about everything else you can buy today. There are so many ports on the back of the Heston 120. There's a pair of HDMI ports, one for eARC and the other for passthrough, an Ethernet port for a more stable internet connection, a USB-C port that can be used to charge devices, and then an analog RCA connector so that you can connect legacy hardware like a turntable. There's no built-in phono pre-amp so you'll need one of the best turntables with one built in, but it's a lovely addition to really round out the inputs. Unlike the aforementioned Samsung or Sonos soundbars, there's also a generic mono-RCA output. While Marshall is working on a wireless subwoofer for the soundbar that will work like Sonos' Sub 4, there's a physical output for a separate subwoofer. That means you can choose your own sub to go with the soundbar. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, with all the lovely extras you'd expect. The Bluetooth connection enables Auracast, as well as the potential for more devices to connect to the soundbar. Marshall has been tight-lipped about what kind of devices to expect and how they're going to work when I asked about the potential for separate surround speakers, but I suspect we might see something in the future. Control-wise, you've got the aforementioned knobs across the top. There are three — volume, EQ, and source. They're all smooth and satisfying, and the latter two click down to switch between bass and treble, play and pause music, and select the source. Finally, there's the Marshall app. It's a completely new experience this time around, retaining the visual flair of the old Marshall Bluetooth app, but sprinkling in new WiFi features for internet connectivity. Once logged in, you can play music from various streaming services so that you don't have to dip into the Spotify or Tidal Connect menus separately, although both are supported. Every aspect of the soundbar can be controlled from the app, including EQ, sound mode, volume, source, and more. It's well laid out and simple to use — good app. Technically, you don't even need to connect the Heston 120 to the internet or the app if you just want to play sound from your TV. Plug it in, connect the HDMI eARC port to the correct slot on your TV, and… watch your stuff. Easy! You can, of course, go more in-depth if you want to use every setting and feature that the soundbar has to offer. Once you're all plugged in, you'll need to open up the app. From there, you'll connect to the soundbar and get the internet connection all set up. There are then sound options to dial in, and you'll want to start with the Room calibration. From there, you'll hear a series of different guitar plucking noises, and the app will load a sound profile. I had absolutely no connection issues during the setup process — it all just kind of worked. To further dial in the sound, you can use the bass/treble knob on the top of the soundbar, or within the app. You can also choose the different sound modes, including Movie, Music, Night and Voice. Music is automatically selected when you play music through the bar, and Movie when it's connected to your TV. Movie mode seems to boost bass, while Music seems to put more emphasis on mid-range frequencies. The latter two sound modes are necessary for Dolby certification, and I don't like them on anything you find them on. Night mode reduces the bass so that you don't wake anyone up when watching late at night, and voice mode raises dialog volume. They work, and for some users, they might be more useful than they were for me. If the Sonos Arc Ultra is the ultimate soundbar for watching movies, the Marshall Heston 120 is one of the best for listening to music. While most soundbars are a TV speaker first and music speaker second, the Heston 120 wants to be excellent at both. As a result, there really isn't a similarly priced soundbar that comes close musically. There's some great sonic control on display from the Heston 120. The audio is very well spaced out on account of the size of the bar, and instrument separation is very good. I gave Vola's I Don't Know How We Got Here a spin, and discovered an impactful, dynamic, and engaging listen waiting for me. Vocals were a particular strength, and there was surprising bass reproduction thanks to the pair of sub drivers inside the bar. Bass was more impressive in the Heston 120 than the Sonos Arc Ultra on its own, so there's less need to add in a sub should you want the floors to rumble during playback. There's support for Dolby Atmos music as well through Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited, and it sounds really good. There's all the extra space that you'd want from a spatial mix, with the likes of The Weeknd's Blinding Lights easily filling my living room. Elements showed good separation, and the spatial effect was up there with the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra and a pair of Sonos Era 300s. There's still some of the thinning out I tend to find with any spatial audio arrangement, but that's a quirk of the format rather than the soundbar. It's movies you'll want Dolby Atmos for, and the Heston 120 is more than happy to provide. There is one caveat to movie sound though — the surround channels. The Heston 120 features a 5.1.2 setup, or 5 surround drivers, a subwoofer, and then two upfirers for Atmos. That's not as strong as the Sonos Arc Ultra's 9.1.4 surround, and it does show when you're watching your movies. The surround bubble is ever so slightly looser on the Heston, and the atmospheric effects from above are slightly more subdued. With that out of the way, the Heston 120 is still excellent for movies. The Atmos effect meant that the opening scene of Star Wars: Episode III sounded and felt massive, as Obi-Wan and Anakin darted through space, droids hot on their heels. Starships cruise from every direction, loud and lumbering. The sub driver gives greater low end than you'll find in the Sonos Arc Ultra as well, despite the slight downgrade in spatial effects. Standard surround mixes are excellent. The Nostromo cruises to your side in the opening to Alien, loud and intimidating. The Star Destroyer at the opening of A New Hope dominates the space, filling the room with the sound of its engines. This is a soundbar that's supposed to be good at both movies and music, and to excel at the latter, it seems some compromises have had to be made in the former — but this is still a great, cinematic experience. A word, finally, about the bass. The pair of sub drivers make for a bassier time than the solus Sonos Arc Ultra, although for larger rooms, you'll still want a separate subwoofer. Marshall will be offering its own wireless sub later this year, but thanks to the standard sub-out on the back of the soundbar, you can use your own. I hooked it up to the KEF KC62 and a Q Acoustics Sub80, and found setup easy, and an increase in the bass beyond that of even the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 combo. Why is this great? Because not only does it add more audio flexibility, it could save you money, with many budget-friendly bass makers to add more rumble to your movies. If you want the absolute best surround sound movie experience in a soundbar, then you're still best off with the 9.1.4-channel Sonos Arc Ultra. But the Heston 120 does throw a wrench into Sonos' well-oiled machine. The movie performance and surround sound of the Heston 120 are still excellent, and the bar provides plenty of Dolby Atmos fun when you want to watch the latest blockbusters. It also manages something that so many other soundbars don't seem to nail down; it remembers that a soundbar is the perfect audio center for a living room. Thanks to its excellent music playback and connectivity, the Heston 120 is actually, in my eyes at least, a better all-round product than the Sonos Arc Ultra. It's not for everyone with its styling, but its feature set means it stands out in a very busy space. For Marshall's first soundbar, it's an absolute triumph, and potentially a better buy for more users than the Sonos option and its continuously disappointing app. After all, it's nice when something just works.
CNET
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
How to Stream Your Phone's Videos Directly to Your TV
I recently took a trip where my friends wanted to watch a streaming event on their phones, but our Airbnb's TV didn't include the matching app for us to play it or a cable subscription. Luckily, the television was hooked up to an Apple TV box, and playing it on the TV was a simple matter of firing up AirPlay from an iPhone and mirroring to the bigger screen. While we fortunately had access to that Apple TV box, that's not strictly necessary anymore. Many TVs now ship with built-in support for AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast, all of which let you wirelessly connect your phone. The trickiest part isn't whether you can connect your phone to your TV, because you probably can. Instead, you'll need to know which wireless casting connection your phone supports and make sure the TV you want to connect to also supports it. We'll talk about how this works, based on whether you're using an iPhone or an Android phone. We'll also point out when you'll be using AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast to make the connection, depending on what device you have. iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast Apple's iPhone devices have two ways of connecting wirelessly to a television. On a system level, an iPhone can use AirPlay to cast media from video and music apps to any device that also supports AirPlay. This originally was exclusive to the Apple TV, but AirPlay now supports many televisions made by Samsung, LG, TCL and Vizio, along with Roku's streaming devices. Odds are if your device supports the Apple TV app, somewhere in its settings is also support for AirPlay. You can access AirPlay in one of two ways. If you're using a supported app like Paramount Plus, you'll want to tap the AirPlay icon represented by a TV with a triangle. You can also access AirPlay from your phone's Control Center by tapping the icon represented by two rectangles and then picking the device you're casting to. Using the latter option, you can also mirror your phone's screen to your TV to display apps like Instagram or TikTok that don't include AirPlay from within. The Screen Mirroring settings on the iPhone. Viva Tung/CNET The biggest exception to this Apple TV rule for finding AirPlay is Google's Chromecast devices and televisions that run the Google TV operating system, but the iPhone also supports Chromecast. Similar to using AirPlay from a media app, you'll tap the Chromecast icon represented by a rectangle with three wavy lines. You'll then tap the device you want to cast to. The biggest difference between how AirPlay works on the iPhone and Chromecast is that you won't be able to mirror your iPhone's display over Chromecast. The Chromecast icon is circled in this screenshot of the Paramount Plus app. Screenshot by Mike Sorrentino/CNET Certain apps like YouTube will blend these casting options together for convenience. When tapping Google's Chromecast button, a submenu will let you choose between using AirPlay, Chromecast or linking directly to your TV's YouTube app using a code. And if you want to connect your iPhone to your television using an HDMI cable, you can use either a USB-C to HDMI adapter if you have an iPhone 15 or newer or a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter for the iPhone 14 and earlier. That adapter will allow for screen mirroring without using AirPlay. Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast Samsung's Smart View screen mirroring. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Android phones don't support AirPlay, but they sometimes support two wireless casting options that connect to nearly any television. First, all Android phones include Chromecast support. So if your TV has Chromecast built-in or has a Google TV streamer attached, you'll be able to connect your phone by tapping the Cast icon from an app. You can also set up a Screen Cast shortcut in the quick settings drop-down panel, which will provide an even faster way to quickly cast to your TV. CNET's Nelson Aguilar has put together a guide for this, which you can check out here. Ready For is a software interface that lets you connect your phone to a TV or monitor. Patrick Holland/CNET And while it's not supported on every Android phone, Samsung and Motorola both make Android phones that support Miracast for screen mirroring. These features are labeled as Smart View and Ready For, respectively, and will let you connect your phone to televisions or displays that support a setting that's often labeled Screen Mirroring. More recent Motorola phones like the Razr Ultra are calling this feature Smart Connect. What's unique about Miracast is that many Windows PCs also support this style of casting, and during my recent trip, that came in handy in order to play some Jackbox games. An additional note about these features from Samsung and Motorola is that both support connecting your phone to a television or computer monitor using a USB-C to HDMI cable, should you have one on hand. This could be particularly helpful if you're trying to do a more data-intensive activity on your phone, such as connecting to a bigger screen in order to use your phone more like a computer. YouTube TV on a phone that's connected to the app on a television. Sarah Tew/CNET More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV Even though many televisions and streaming devices support one or more of these methods, it's still entirely possible that when traveling, you won't have a perfect match. For instance, you might have an Android phone, but the TV in your hotel room supports only AirPlay or blocks access to the HDMI port. But for home use, now that many televisions support multiple connection options, there's a good chance you can set up a method that works for day-to-day viewing. You'll also want to keep in mind that much like with video streaming, your network could also affect how effective a wireless connection will be to your TV. Where possible, you will want to have your phone as close to a router as possible, which will help with the connection. If your video quality degrades while streaming, you may also want to turn casting off and on again to reset the connection. But as long as your phone and television can connect with one of the above methods, you should otherwise be free to stream any movies or music from your phone onto your TV.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
9 Easy Ways To Survive Your Next Family Road Trip
While driving through the countryside—or along the highway—can be a freeing experience, once you have children, the dynamics of road trips change quite a bit. The days of driving long stretches and stopping at no-frills rest stops are replaced with pre-planned breaks and roadside activities. (See parks, playgrounds, attractions, and more.) The music shifts, from one generation to the next, and you better have water and snacks. Lots of snacks. But just because things are different with kids doesn't make them bad. Less than 24 hours after my birthday, the kids and I piled into our Mazda CX-90 for a road trip to my daughter's dance competition—the first of several road trips we would be taking this year. We gathered the necessary provisions: two iced coffees; a Stanley; car games; several fruit pouches; and bags of trail mix, chips, pretzels, and more. We folded down the third row of seats to make room for our luggage, which included one oversized carry on, two backpacks, and a large rolling duffel. We secured my youngest in his car seat before buckling in, and then we used the vehicle's AirPlay feature to navigate our way to the venue. According to the GPS, we were only a few hours away. But a few hours of 'are we there yets' and 'I need to use the bathroom' can be a lot, especially if you're ill-prepared. Here are nine ways to make the most of a car ride, long or short, with your kids. Whether your child is two or 12, it's important to travel with everything you need for your trip—and then some. This may mean bringing a stockpile of formula or diapers. It may mean bringing wet wipes, paper towels, sanitary products, medicine, and a few days worth of clothes. And it may mean packing chargers, phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. The good news is our vehicle, the Mazda CX90, makes it easy to bring it all. With an expansive cargo area, multiple storage compartments, and the option to fold down the third row, this vehicle is ideal for our family of four (who sometimes travels with Nana, and other passengers). It's also great for our bags. Not sure what to pack? Think about what your family needs to get by for the duration of your trip plus a day or two. Children are voracious eaters—well, except at mealtime, but I digress. This means that if you are traveling for four hours you can expect they will eat like you've been on the road for 14. And whether it is the result of boredom or the onslaught of roadside ads (for chicken, hamburgers, and other childhood staples) they are sure to ask for snacks. Be prepared with pre-packaged and pre-portioned goodies. Fruit pouches are good for younger children. Hard boiled eggs, granola bars, baby carrots, and string cheese are all portable options. Animal crackers, dried fruits, and pretzels can be packed in small bags, and avoid choking hazards. Skip hard candies, for example, and popcorn. While the ultimate goal of any road trip is get from point a to point b as quickly as possible, when you are traveling with kids, you need to buffer in time for food and the potty. This may mean leaving an hour (or two) earlier. It may mean changing—or cancelling—plans you have later in the day, after your arrival. And it definitely means being patient and flexible. No matter how prepared you are, unexpected situations can (and will) occur. Being adaptable is key. You've got the kids, the car, the snacks but what about entertainment? Children of every age need a way to stave off boredom, and one of the best ways to do that is to pack an activity bag. But what do you and your child put in said bag? Well, it varies by age but some solid travel toys include activity books, hidden picture books, sticker books, writing tablets, drawing pads (with retractable colored pencils), WikiSticks, Water Wow!, Rubiks Cubes, small fidgets, and more. If your child has a special toy or lovey, make sure to pack that too. Depending on your child's age—and your family's stance on screen-time—the idea of watching something in a car (on a road trip) may be controversial. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under the age of two should have no screen time while children between two and five years should be limited to one hour of screen time per day. That said, many older children are using screens, be it at school or at home. The key is to help them make good choices. Load tablets, phones, and other devices up with good, educational kids' content—like Super Why!, Wild Kratts, or Brainchild—or those that teach valuable life lessons, like Ask the Storybots, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Give them windows of time in which they can be on their devices and windows of time when they should engage in other activities. (We usually hold off on screens until later in our trip, mainly because transitions are tough.) And use meal breaks as a time to reset, if you can—i.e. no screens at the table. In our vehicle, our children can even charge their devices while playing thanks to USB-C outlets in the second row! While bringing an activity bag is great, bringing your imagination is even better. Not only do games encourage thinking outside the box, they encourage family bonding and socialization. Some great ideas for car games include iSpy, Name the Animal or Food, License Plate Bingo, Twenty Questions, and Name That Tune. Some children sleep on long car rides. Many others, however, do not. If you find yourself in the former category, driving through the night may be an option. But if you have a more alert passenger, one who doesn't want to miss out on the fun, you may want to drive during the day, as food options will be more plentiful and rest stops will be more readily available. Driving during the day will also allow them to see the toys and activities they have brought with them. If you're traveling with an infant or a child who still naps, you may want to try and time your trip around their nap schedule—depending on whether they will or will not sleep in the vehicle. You may not be planning to spend an evening away from home. You may just be going on a long drive. But if there is a chance you may be spending a night at a hotel or motel, do yourself a favor and pack an overnight bag. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just the basics will do. Think clothing and toiletries. But having a few 'creature comforts' goes a long way, especially for and with kids. While your children probably don't care about the type of car you are riding in, choosing the right vehicle can make or break your trip. As I mentioned, we opted for a car with three rows, one of which folded down for added cargo space. It was more fuel efficient than our previous vehicle, which–again–was important to us, and the Mazda CX-90 has a slew of safety features which helps with both short and long trips. (My favorite is the dashboard reminder to check for backseat passengers.) The vehicle also boasts a stunning 360-degree camera to assist with parking and backing up. There were perks the kids enjoyed, too. In between the two back seats was a small armrest/table with cup holders, perfect for snacks and drinks. The sun roof kept both children entertained, especially my space-obsessed six year old. And with AirPlay, they were able to listen to their favorite tunes and podcasts, like Who Smarted? Of course, even with all of our planning, our road trip was far from perfect. Patience were tested—and the children whimpered, whined, and definitely said "are we there yet?" But with some foresight (and the right vehicle) our journey went as smoothly as it could have gone because we were cool, calm, and collected. Well, we were prepared. We were also adaptable. And that's the name of the game. Read the original article on Parents
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Time of India
Apple's AirPlay system may have major security flaws that can allow hackers to hijack devices, researchers claim
Image credit: Oligo Apple's popular AirPlay feature has been found to contain major security flaws that could leave users vulnerable to hackers, a report claims. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Oligo have discovered that these vulnerabilities could allow attackers to hijack compatible devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network. AirPlay is a protocol that enables users to stream audio, video, or photos seamlessly from their Apple devices to other Apple devices or third-party gadgets that integrate the technology. A total of 23 vulnerabilities, collectively named 'AirBorne,' were reportedly identified. These flaws were present in both Apple's own AirPlay protocol and the AirPlay Software Development Kit (SDK), which third-party vendors use to make their devices compatible. Researchers share a video to show how this security flaw can affect users In their video demonstration, the researchers showed how an attacker on the same network could exploit an AirPlay-enabled Bose speaker, launch a remote code execution (RCE) attack, and display the 'AirBorne' logo on its screen. They warned that a similar technique could feasibly be used to infiltrate any microphone-equipped device for espionage purposes. In a statement to Wired, Oligo CTO Gal Elbaz said that the number of potentially vulnerable devices could be in the millions. 'Because AirPlay is supported in such a wide variety of devices, there are a lot that will take years to patch — or they will never be patched. And it's all because of vulnerabilities in one piece of software that affects everything,' Elbaz explained to Wired. Oligo also disclosed the vulnerabilities to Apple earlier and has been collaborating with the company for several months on patches before releasing their research to the public. Apple even issued updates addressing these issues in March for devices running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and visionOS 2.4. However, third-party products that implement the AirPlay protocol are still at risk, as manufacturers have to distribute their firmware updates for users to install to close the exposure. Meanwhile, Apple told Wired that while it has created patches for these third-party devices, it stressed that there are 'limitations' to the attacks that would be possible on AirPlay-enabled devices due to the bugs. The researchers also noted that CarPlay-equipped systems remain at risk, since hackers can carry out an RCE attack if they are nearby and 'the device has a default, predictable, or known Wi-Fi hotspot password.'
Digital Trends
21-05-2025
- Digital Trends
How to keep your Apple devices safe from AirPlay attacks
Apple's approach to building new features has always been rooted in safety and seamless convenience. Take, for example, AirPlay, a wireless standard created by the company that allows users to stream audio and video from one device to another. AirPlay works not just across Apple devices, but also on TVs and speakers cleared by the company to offer the wireless streaming facility. That also makes it a ripe target for attacks, and it seems there are, in fact, vulnerabilities in the wireless lanes that could allow bad actors to seed malware and infect more connected devices. Recommended Videos Understanding the AirPlay risk Experts at the security research firm Oligo recently detailed Airborne, a set of flaws in Apple's AirPlay Protocol and the AirPlay Software Development Kit (SDK) that can allow hackers to remotely execute code. These vulnerabilities can let bad actors take control of devices and use the infected machines to broaden the damage. 'An attacker can take over certain AirPlay-enabled devices and do things like deploy malware that spreads to devices on any local network the infected device connects,' Oligo explained. The risk is huge because there are billions of Apple devices out there that support AirPlay, and millions that are sold by other brands. One of the vulnerabilities could allow hackers to compromise a device and then use it to gain access to a larger network, potentially targeting other devices, too. Depending on the target, the risks range from spying on conversations to tracking a car's location, accessing sensitive information, ransomware attacks, and denial of service. Apple has patched the vulnerabilities via macOS Sequoia 15.4, tvOS 18.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, iPadOS 17.7.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4 updates. However, there are potentially thousands of older devices that will never get patched and remain vulnerable. What steps do experts suggest? Of course, the first line of defense to protect yourself across all vulnerable devices is to download the fix released by Apple. But that isn't the full picture. Trevor Horwitz, CISO and founder of TrustNet, says the patch will only work if people install it after the package downloads on their device. 'The simplest and most effective thing you can do is keep your devices updated. That sounds basic, but it's often overlooked,' he says. On an iPhone or iPad, follow this route to install the safety update: Settings > General > Software Update. For macOS, you must walk this path: Apple menu > System. Settings > General > Software Update. Since attack vectors like Airborne rely on Wi-Fi networks to expand their damage, you must also pay attention to them. Oleh Kulchytskyi, Senior Malware Reverse Engineer at MacPaw's Moonlock, told DigitalTrends that a Zero-Click Remote Code Execution (RCE) is the highest level of security breach. It should be immediately patched by the companies involved, but as a user, one must take further network-related precautions. 'To stay safe at home, ensure that your router has a strong password and there are no suspicious connections to your network,' Kulchytsky adds. A safe way to AirPlay Matthias Frielingsdorf, a veteran iOS researcher and cofounder of iVerify, tells me that everyone should follow basic digital security protocols. Those include installing updates as soon as they are available, maintaining strong network passwords, and most importantly, reducing the surface area for such attacks. Since AirPlay is the threat vector, users should take proactive steps while using it. 'Disabling this on iOS / macOS / tvOS devices that don't need to be an AirPlay receiver would limit some of the attacks. In public spaces, disabling WiFi on the Mac and iPhone would stop those attacks as well,' says Frielingsdorf. AirPlay streaming is active by default, and as such, you need to disable it. To do so, follow this path on your iPhone or iPad: Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity > Ask. You can also set it to Never, if you don't actively utilize this feature. There's also an option to set a password, which I recommend that you enable, while at it. What about AirPlay itself? Can it be disabled? Yes, it can be turned off entirely. On your iPhone and iPad, go to the AirPlay & Continuity page and turn off the AirPlay Receiver toggle. Alternatively, you can choose to allow AirPlay only for the Current User, instead of keeping it open to everyone in the range. For Mac users, this is the path you need to follow: Apple Menu > System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff > AirPlay Receiver. You can't always patch older or discontinued devices, so it's best to ensure that the machines that are currently in your hands have enabled the right protocols to minimize the risks. The bottom line On multiple occasions in the past, security experts have highlighted flaws in wireless transmission systems, such as Bluetooth. But a vulnerability that allows zero-click remote code execution in AirPlay is a cautionary tale. The message is clear. Apple's security guardrails are solid, but not impenetrable. 'What makes this serious is the integration. AirPlay isn't just a standalone app. It's a system-level service built into iOS, macOS, and tvOS. So the moment that layer is compromised, the attacker could potentially affect multiple devices at once,' TrustNet's Horwitz told Digital Trends. So, where does that leave an average user who is not savvy about security measures? Well, it's time to set aside notions and market perceptions. Chris Hill, Chief Security Strategist at BeyondTrust, says users must understand the threat landscape instead of living with the idea that a certain ecosystem is safer than the rest. 'Threat actors are opportunistic, looking for the easiest path of least resistance, they will find it, and they did in this case with AirPlay and AirBorne,' he warns. The bottom line is that keep your devices updated, disable features you don't use, and be vigilant with network-related settings.
