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How to Connect Apple TV to Xfinity Hotspot (Why Isn’t It Working?)

As an Apple TV owner, I was frustrated to find out that my device wouldn’t connect to Xfinity hotspots. After some research and testing, I’m here to share how I was able to solve my problem and some other solutions I discovered along the way. In this blog post, I’ll explain how to connect Apple TV to Xfinity hotspot, why it’s not working, and what you can do to resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, you can’t directly connect Apple TV to Xfinity hotspot because it doesn’t have a browser like other smart TVs. The only way to use Xfinity on Apple TV is by using AirPlay. You can connect your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to Xfinity and use Airplay to cast your media on Apple TV.

In this article, we’ll explain how to make the best use of Xfinity on your Apple TV. We’ll also share our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

Tips:
Connecting Apple TV directly to a Xfinity hotspot is not possible as it doesn’t have a browser.
Use AirPlay from your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to cast your media on Apple TV while connected to Xfinity hotspot.
You can either sign in manually or automatically to the Xfinity hotspot.
AirPlay supports casting of videos, audio, photos, presentations, and more from your Apple device to Apple TV.
Ensure that your Apple devices are near to each other and are connected to the same WiFi network.
Developers have created a way to install a browser on Apple TV using code, but it is not officially supported by Apple.

Why Isn’t Your Apple TV Connecting to Xfinity Hotspot?

Xfinity allows customers to connect to its extensive network of hotspots at no additional cost to their subscriptions. However, it requires that the connected device has a preinstalled browser.

Unlike other smart TVs, Apple TV doesn’t come with a browser. Still, you can mirror your movies via Airplay from another Apple device that has access to a browser.

Read more: Why is my Apple TV not connecting to my iPhone?

How to Connect an Apple Device to Xfinity Hotspot?

You can either sign in manually or automatically to the Xfinity hotspot. To sign in automatically, install the Xfinity security profile on your Apple device.

As for manual sign-in, follow the steps below to connect your Apple device to the Xfinity hotspot.

  1. Check the Xfinity location map in its app and ensure you’re within range of an active hotspot
  2. Switch on your Apple device’s WiFi
  3. From the available networks list, select xfinitywifi or XFINITY SSID.
  4. Launch your Safari or any other browser on your device.
  5. Upon loading any website, your browser would direct you to the sign-in page of Xfinity.
  6. Use your Xfinity username and password to sign in. You’ll also need to register the device you’re using.

In case your browser doesn’t automatically direct you to the sign-in page, enter a different URL and try again.

Read more: How to Chrome to Apple TV with AirPlay

How to Use AirPlay for Screen Mirroring on Apple TV?

AirPlay allows you to cast videos, audio, photos, presentations, and more from your Apple device to Apple TV. It also works similarly with other smart TVs that are enabled with AirPlay 2. So, you can use this handy feature to stream your TV content using Xfinity.

Here’s how to share content using Airplay.

  1. Connect your Apple TV to the same WiFi network as your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  2. Fetch the media content that you want to view on your Apple TV.
  3. Tap the rectangle and arrow icon to start streaming videos. In some cases, like the  Photos app, you’ll find the AirPlay icon after tapping the Share icon.
  4. Select your Apple TV.

When you’re finally done watching your movies, tap the AirPlay icon on your device again, then choose your Apple TV.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you connect Apple TV to Xfinity hotspot?

No, you can’t directly connect to the Xfinity hotspot on Apple TV. This is because Xfinity hotspot requires a preinstalled browser on your device, which isn’t available on Apple TV.

Why can’t I AirPlay on my Apple TV?

If Apple TV is requesting a password when you’re trying to connect via AirPlay, you might have some enabled restrictions. In that case, you can change the password settings or adjust the restrictions from the General menu in your TV’s settings.

Additionally, make sure that your Apple devices are close enough to each other and are using the same WiFi network. It’s also possible that AirPlay wouldn’t work well if the devices aren’t updated to the latest software version.

Finally, try to restart your devices before calling Apple support.

What browsers are available on Apple TV?

To date, Apple TV doesn’t come with a preinstalled browser. Although tvOS aims to mimic iOS, the Safari browser is a main missing feature. This means you can only open the browser on your Apple TV using AirPlay and another browser-enabled Apple device.

How do I add a browser to Apple TV?

Surprisingly, some developers have come up with a way to install a browser on Apple TV, using code. You’ll need to have a USB-C cable, create an Apple developer account, and install the Xcode app. After that, you can tweak the code to install the browser and access Xfinity from Apple TV.

Wrap Up

Finally, how to connect Apple TV to Xfinity hotspot? You can connect Apple TV to another Apple device using AirPlay to share your favorite videos. The other device should have a preinstalled browser, which is required to access the Xfinity hotspot.

It might be frustrating that Apple TV can’t access Xfinity hotspots. However, we should be thankful for free, reliable Internet, even if it requires the extra step of connecting through AirPlay.