With AirPlay, Apple allowed iOS devices and iTunes on the Mac and Windows PCs to stream audio (and video) to AirPlay-enabled devices.. However, Apple has yet to include a feature in OS X that would allow you to stream all system audio to an AirPlay-compatible device. Luckily, the folks at Rogue Amoeba have stepped up to the plate with the Airfoil application. Read on to learn how to use it!
What You'll Need:
>> Airfoil (Rogue Amoeba; $25; free demo available)
>> iOS Device with Airfoil Speakers Touch
>> AirPlay speakers, Apple TV, or AirPort Express
1. Install and Set Up Airfoil
A free demo of Airfoil can be downloaded from the Rogue Amoeba website, but if you plan to utilize it you should pay the $25 for the full license. To begin, download and install the application to your Applications folder on your Mac.
When you first launch the application, you may be prompted to install an "Instant On" feature. This feature allows the application to capture and redirect the audio in applications without having to restart the applications. If you don't get this option to install, you can navigate to Airfoil > Install Extras. After installing, you will be prompted to restart your Mac.
2. Install Airfoil Speakers Touch
If you don't have an AirPlay-capable device, you can stream your Mac's audio to an iOS device, such as an iPhone connected to a speaker dock, over your wireless network.
To do this, you'll need to download Airfoil Speakers Touch from the iTunes App Store. Once installed, you can change the name of your "speakers" by tapping on the gear button in the upper, right-hand corner of the app. Here, you can also set a password to access the Airfoil speaker functionality on your device.
3. Redirect Your Mac's Audio
We're now ready to redirect the audio on our Mac to AirPlay devices, or to iOS devices. Launch Airfoil on your Mac, and on your iOS devices. Airfoil will automatically detect all devices that it can stream audio to and display them in the window.
Select "System Audio" from the drop-down menu at the top of the Airfoil window, and then click the small wireless music note icon beside the devices you wish to stream to. You can independently adjust the volume allocated to devices under the icon. The status of the device will turn from "Available" to "Active."
When you're ready to start streaming, begin playing audio in any application on your computer, and the audio will begin streaming to the selected devices. Because this is wireless streaming, there will be a slight delay from the time you start playing something to when you begin hearing the audio. If you are on a slower or congested wireless network, this delay may be longer than usual. Typically the delay is under 5 seconds.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
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