Remember the Google Chromecast Audio? It was a little dongle that made any speakers smart – just plug it in, and it would add wi-fi to the party, letting you stream online music through your phone, tablet or computer to your speakers. 

Now Belkin has launched a similar device but with Apple AirPlay 2 wireless tech onboard. That means you can stream music from an Apple device to your old speakers that don’t have wireless streaming built-in.

The Belkin Soundform Connect plugs into your speakers using an optical or 3.5mm connection. Then you simply tap the AirPlay icon on your Apple device and your track will start playing from your speaker as if by magic.

AirPlay 2 is adept at multi-room audio, too. So plug Soundform Connect devices into speakers in different rooms and you can fill your house with sweet music. Use Apple’s HomeKit, and you can assign different speakers to different rooms, and create scenes and automations using the Home app. 

You can also control playback using Siri voice control, so you can ask what’s playing in each room, adjust the volume, play, pause and more. 

To use it, you’ll need an iPhone running iOS 11.4 or later, an iPad with iPadOS 11.4 or later, a Mac running macOS Catalina or later, or an Apple TV running tvOS 11.4 or later.

The Soundform Connect is small enough to fit in a pocket, so you can easily take it with you wherever you go. And it won’t break the bank, with a price tag of £89 ($99). 

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