After users noticed that AirPlay and older Apple TV models no longer support content that is restricted by digital rights management, several reports claim that using HDMI adapters joins the black screen streaming.
HDMI Adapters are No Longer Supported
iPhone and iPad users can no longer watch and stream content using an HDMI adapter with the new iOS16 update. Based on a report from 9To5 Mac, platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and more restricted content by digital rights management will only show a black screen when streaming with an HDMI adapter.
When iOS16 was released to the public, several users also noticed the unsupported Netflix streaming over AirPlay to Apple TV with old software. But no official announcements were released by Apple regarding this restriction.
Users will be shown an error message that dictates, "There was an error loading this content. Try again later" when users attempt to AirPlay a movie or TV show from one of the mentioned streaming services to an Apple TV generation 2 and 3.
But this method was also tested using iOS 15.7 and the AirPlay works just as fine as before, even with DRM-restricted content.
Both of these restrictions may be related. A user from Reddit said that a Netflix support person confirmed to him that this is no longer supported using an HDMI adapter on a device running iOS 16. This might be permanent, as both companies have already decided on this decision, the spokesperson added.
"I just chatted with Netflix support about HDMI not working after iOS 16. They stated they have made the decision to no longer support HDMI. For those of us who live remote, and even only 12 miles out of town but can't get internet, the phone is how I watch," the original poster stated.
Alternative Solutions
It remains unclear whether this restriction will have an alternative in the future. However, DRM gets updates that help to improve the efficiency of the technology but at the same time, it also affects older devices that can no longer receive software updates.
While this may be a dead end, and the only option for you is to buy a newer version of Apple TV, USB-C external display with iPads still works with DRM-restricted content as of the moment. But knowing Apple, this might also be restricted in the future.
A report from Apple Discussion Forums stated that this kind of problem started last September when some iPhone users experienced unsupported HDMI functionality on connecting their iPhones to a Lightning Digital AV adapter and mirroring a video to their TVs.
Users indicated that this problem occurred when they installed the iOS 16 update, as it works properly before that. No official statement from Apple was released during this time.
