How to screen mirror your iPhone to a TV or Mac computer, with or without AirPlay
- You can mirror your iPhone screen to a TV or Mac computer in several ways.
- AirPlay is the simplest way to screen mirror an iPhone to an Apple TV or Samsung TV.
- You can also use Roku, Chromecast, or a hardwire connection to mirror an iPhone to a TV or Mac.
If you get a lot of mileage streaming on your iPhone, you aren't limited to only enjoying content on its relatively small screen.
You can easily mirror your iPhone to a variety of bigger screens, including one of many sleek but affordable TVs or your Mac computer.
Here's a rundown of the most popular ways you can mirror content from your iPhone to a bigger, higher-resolution screen.
How to mirror iPhone to TV
To screen mirror an iPhone to a TV, you can use AirPlay, Roku, Chromecast, or a hardwire connection.
Connect your iPhone to a TV with an AV adapter
To mirror your iPhone with a hardwired connection, you need an adapter cable that matches the input to your TV (or monitor). If you can, use an HDMI cable for crisp audio and video with low latency.
You also need a Lightning to Digital AV Adapter. You can buy the cable from Apple, or opt for a third-party version — just make sure a third-party adapter includes "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection." Then attach the AV adapter to the Lightning port on your iPhone and to your TV or monitor via the HDMI cable.
Use AirPlay to mirror your iPhone to Apple TV or Samsung TV
If you have an Apple TV, you can wirelessly cast your iPhone screen to the Apple TV using AirPlay.
First, make sure your iPhone and Apple TV are on the same network. From there, you can enable "Screen Mirroring" from the iPhone's control panel, accessible by swiping down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen (or from the bottom of the screen on older iPhones).
You can also use AirPlay to mirror your iPhone to a Samsung TV by following the same steps — as long as the TV is compatible with "AirPlay 2."
Note: Although LG's line of smart TVs are more compatible with Android-powered phones, you can mirror your iPhone to an LG Smart TV using a free third-party app like TV Assist.
Cast your iPhone to a TV with Roku
An Apple TV isn't a necessity for mirroring your iPhone screen wirelessly. There are a host of other options, including the Roku streaming device, which allows you to mirror your iPhone screen to a TV using the Roku app.
You can also cast content from your iPhone to the TV using the Roku app. This is different from screen mirroring, so you'll be limited to content that is supported by Roku.
Finally, if you own a Roku model that supports the feature, you can also use Apple's AirPlay function to cast content from your iPhone to a TV.
Stream iPhone to TV using Chromecast
Although Chromecast is a streaming device of Apple competitor Google, iPhone users can still cast from their iPhone to a Chromecast-enabled TV with the Google Home app.
You can also mirror your iPhone screen to a Chromecast TV with a third-party app like Chromecast Streamer.
How to mirror iPhone to Mac
You can also mirror your iPhone screen to a Mac in a few different ways.
You can hardwire a connection between your iPhone and Mac with a Lightning to USB cable, allowing you to mirror your iPhone screen with the QuickTime app.
AirPlay is another option for screen mirroring from iPhone to Mac — but you'll have to also use a third-party app like Reflector.
Note: You can also use AirPlay on your Mac if you want to mirror your computer screen to a TV.
Troubleshooting tips
If your screen mirroring or AirPlay isn't working, try the following tips:
- Restart devices. Try powering your devices on and off — including your iPhone, TV, and router.
- Update software. Make sure your iPhone, Mac, or smart TV software is the latest version and update if necessary.
- Check for compatibility. Verify that the devices you're using are compatible with AirPlay and allow for screen mirroring. You can usually do this in a System Preferences or Settings menu.
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