How to Screen Mirror Your iPhone or iPad to a TV

Mirroring your screen to a TV

Don’t get stuck watching videos or playing games on a small screen, you can use your iPhone or iPad on larger displays thar has screen mirroring methods instead. There are a few ways to watch iOS or iPadOS content on a Television, which includes  AirPlay, Chromecast, and wired adapters.

1. Cast Video or Mirror Your Screen With AirPlay

The Apple TV connects to your TV via HDMI and functions as a set-top box with its own apps and App Store. It has other neat functions too, like displaying your recent iPhone photos and playing music from Apple Music.

If you want to AirPlay video from your iPhone to a computer display instead, you can do so with an app called AirServer, which costs around $20. You can also buy audio equipment compatible with AirPlay for streaming music.

How to Mirror Your iPhone Screen to Your TV With AirPlay

When you use screen mirroring, an image appears on your TV that exactly matches your iPhone or iPad screen. It even shows up in the same aspect ratio as your device (such as 4:3 for an iPad), which often means the image doesn’t fill the entire TV screen.

To mirror your iPhone or iPad’s screen to an AirPlay receiver:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open it instead.
2. Tap the Screen Mirroring button and choose your AirPlay receiver. A blue bubble appears in the top-left corner to show that you’re mirroring your iPhone or iPad screen to the TV.
3. To stop mirroring your screen, return to the Screen Mirroring option in Control Center and tap Stop Mirroring.

How to Cast Video From Your iPhone to Your TV Using AirPlay

Unlike screen mirroring, casting a video to your TV fills the entire screen. This is the best way to watch movies or view photos since they aren’t limited to the aspect ratio of your device. You can also use other apps on your iPhone while casting video to a TV, without them showing up on the big screen.

To cast video from to your TV without screen mirroring:

1. Load the content you want to send to the TV.
2. Look for an AirPlay button in the app, which might be in the Share menu. If you can’t find it, open the Control Center and long-press on the Media Controls item in the top-right corner.
3. Tap the AirPlay button and choose your AirPlay receiver. A blue bubble appears in the top-left corner to show that you’re casting a video to your TV.
4. To stop casting video to your TV, tap the blue AirPlay bubble, then tap the AirPlay button and choose to play the video on your device instead of the TV.

2. Mirror Your Screen With a Wired Adapter

To avoid delays between your iPhone or iPad and the TV screen, consider using a wired adapter. There are a few drawbacks to wired adapters, but the latest models are better than they once were.

Most problems stem from the fact that Apple didn’t design the Lightning port on the iPhone and iPad to output video signals. As a result, you need to buy a clunky adapter to go from your Lightning connecter to an HDMI, VGA, or other display port.

To mirror your iPhone or iPad screen to a TV using an adapter:

1. Connect your adapter to the Lightning or USB-C port on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Use an HDMI cable to connect your TV to the adapter.
3. Switch to the correct input source on your TV to see the screen mirroring from your iPhone or iPad.

How to Mirror Your iPhone Screen With Google Chromecast

Apple does not make it easy to mirror your iPhone or iPad screen to the TV using Chromecast, but it is possible. To do so, you just need a computer that is on the same Wi-Fi network that’s running the Google Chrome browser. You also need an app that allows you to cast a video to your computers, such as ApowerMirror or AirServer.

To mirror your iPhone screen using Chromecast:

1. Install and set up APowerMirror or AirServer on your computer.
2. Open Control Center on your iPhone or iPad and select Screen Mirroring, then choose your computer from the list of devices. This should open a window on your computer that mirrors your device screen.
3. On your computer, open Google Chrome, and click the three-dot menu. Select Cast, then choose your TV as the destination with your Desktop as the source.
4. Return to the APowerMirror or AirServer screen-mirroring window on your computer to cast it to your TV.