Whether you wish to amp up your binge-watching or enhance your family photo-viewing experience, there is no alternative to a modern TV equipped with a large screen. While AirPlay has always offered a pretty easy way to mirror iPhone to TV, what about mirroring to TVs that don’t support it? If that’s what’s bugging you, here’s how to mirror your iPhone or iPad screen to a TV easily!
Things to Check Before Mirroring iPhone to TV
Introduced in 2010 as part of iOS 4, AirPlay initially allowed users to stream audio, photos, and videos via an Apple TV device. However, in 2018, Apple allowed TV and speaker manufacturers to incorporate the technology with the launch of AirPlay 2. With this advancement, mirroring has become more accessible.
Today, most modern TVs from leading manufacturers including Samsung, LG, and VIZIO (2018 or later) come equipped with AirPlay 2 support. This allows users to mirror their iPhone or iPad display to a smart TV without needing any additional devices. However, it’s essential to check whether your TV and iPhone are AirPlay 2 compatible.
Make Sure Your TV is AirPlay 2 Compatible
To find out whether or not your TV is compatible, look for the AirPlay icon on your TV’s interface. You can also visit Apple’s Home accessories webpage and check the TV section to see if your model supports Apple’s wireless streaming protocol.
Ensure That Your iPhone Supports AirPlay 2
AirPlay 2 supports several older iPhone and iPad models. Here’s a quick list of AirPlay 2-supported devices:
- iPhone 15 series
- iPhone 14 series
- iPhone 13 series
- iPhone 12 series
- iPhone SE 2
- iPhone 11 series
- iPhone XS series
- iPhone 8 series
- iPhone 7 series
- iPhone 6s series
- iPhone SE 1
- iPhone 6 series
- iPhone 5S
For iPads, the following models are compatible:
- iPad 5 and later
- iPad mini and later
- iPad Air 1 and later
- All iPad Pro models
Mirror Your iPhone and iPad to a TV With AirPlay
This is the easiest and most fluid way of mirroring your iPhone to a TV. Here’s how to do it:
- First off, ensure that your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible smart TV.
- Next, swipe down to access your device’s Control Center and tap on the Screen Mirroring icon.
- Then, select your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible smart TV. Your iPhone or iPad will instantly begin mirroring to the TV!
- To stop screen mirroring, you can simply retrace your steps and tap on Stop Mirroring.
Anything you do on your iOS device will be mirrored on the television. If you flip your iOS device from portrait to landscape mode, you can view videos using the entire TV screen!
Mirror Your iPhone to TV Without AirPlay
What if your TV is not AirPlay-2 compatible? Don’t worry! You can still mirror your iOS device to an unsupported TV with streaming devices like Chromecast and Roku. While Roku supports AirPlay, Chromecast does not. To mirror your iPhone to a Chromecast device, you'll need the Google Home app on your iPhone.
Unfortunately, many applications require a paid tier to mirror your iPhone to a TV. One exception is DoCast, which offers a free version that allows 15 minutes of mirroring. While it may not be as seamless as using AirPlay, it gets the job done.
The process with DoCast is also straightforward:
- Once you’ve installed and set up DoCast, your TV should instantly appear on the app. Tap on it and select Screen.
- Then, hit the Start mirroring option at the bottom and confirm by tapping Start Broadcast in the popup window.
- To stop mirroring, just retrace your steps and tap on Stop Broadcast.
And just like that, you can connect your iPhone to a Chromecast-running TV!
So, that’s how you can stream your favorite videos or mirror the screen of your iPhone or iPad to an Android TV or Smart TV. If your TV does not support AirPlay, you may need to consider investing in a good tool.
Alternatively, you can opt for a wired connection by using a Lightning to HDMI or Type-C to HDMI adapter. Connect it to your TV, set the appropriate HDMI input source, and your iPhone will start mirroring immediately.
Feel free to share your thoughts about this guide and drop any related queries in the comments below!
