iOS 12 Brings AirPort Express Back In Home App

Despite its apparent death as an entire product line, Apple’s AirPort Express may have something of a reprieve in the cards after it was noticed that iOS 12’s Home app is again able to see the 2012 redesigned accessory although it cannot be configured for use.

Multiple users of iOS 12, including ourselves, have made the discovery and we can confirm that while the AirPort Express is visible, despite multiple attempts to make it work inside the Home app, none of them were a success.

This is not the first time that the AirPort Express has popped up as a possible HomeKit-compatible accessory with support for the recently released AirPlay 2. During the iOS 11.4 beta process the same thing happened, although that time around support was ultimately removed before the software was released to the public in final form.

This came shortly before Apple killed off the entire AirPort product line, something that is further confused by this new iOS 12 inclusion.

It is of course possible that this is an oversight and that support for the current AirPort Express will again be removed, especially considering the fact that the now obsolete accessory would require a software/firmware update of its own in order to work. That hasn’t happened since December of last year.

Our money is on this being more of a bug than a hint at anything to get excited about, and with iOS 12 currently being in its initial beta release phase then there will obviously be plenty of bugs that need to be squashed.

We’ll get a better picture as to whether the re-appearance of the AirPort Express was planned or not as more beta releases come and go – especially if an AirPort Express software update lands, too.

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