Apple Adds HDMI ARC and eARC Support to the New Apple TV 4K

Now you can play Apple TV audio on your HomePod speakers

By
Joshua Hawkins
Josh Hawkins
Joshua Hawkins
Freelance Technology Reporter
  • Full Sail University
Josh Hawkins is a freelance writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on May 21, 2021 02:19PM EDT
Fact checked by
Rich Scherr
Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
lifewire's fact checking process

The new Apple TV 4K will let you play all your TV's audio on your HomePod speakers.

Apple has revealed that the new Apple TV 4K will allow users to enable HDMI ARC and eARC, which will let audio from all input sources stream over HomePod Speakers. According to 9To5Mac, Apple originally enabled the ability for older versions of Apple TV to stream audio to HomePod Speakers last fall.

Apple TV 4K audio output settings page

Apple

That software update only allowed audio from Apple TV, itself, to be shared. The Apple TV 4K will allow all audio from all of your TV inputs to be played through your HomePod, if your TV supports ARC output.

Before you can make use of the new ARC feature, you must set up your system properly. Apple says the HomePod speaker needs to be connected to the same room as the Apple TV 4K, then you’ll need to set the HomePod as the default audio output. Once done, you can enable the Audio Return Channel feature, which is in beta at the moment.

It is important to note that the HomePod mini—the only version of the HomePod that Apple is still actively manufacturing—is not supported. Instead, ARC is only compatible with the larger HomePod speaker, which the company discontinued earlier this year.

ARC is only compatible with the larger HomePod speaker, which the company discontinued earlier this year.

The move to enable universal ARC support is important because previous reports have pointed towards the eventual release of a HomePod-like television speaker set. Bringing universal audio passthrough could be a logical step towards something of that nature. However, such a device has yet to be officially announced.

Was this page helpful?