Screen Mirroring iPhone: Best Ways in 2023

Name: How to Mirror iPhone to TV using AirPlay
Uploaded: 2023-03-21T15:02:40Z
Description: How to Mirror iPhone to TV Using AirPlay

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iOS
Screen Mirroring iPhone Tutorials: Find the Best Way

Written by

Darren Oliver

Updated on: September 14, 2023

Time to read: 12 minutes

Screen mirroring on iPhone and other Apple products lets you cast or stream visual content from your device to another device, such as a smart TV. It’s a cool feature to utilize to turn your smaller screen into a big one.

Whether you want to show off your photos and videos or enjoy your mobile games on a bigger screen, learning how to use the screen mirroring feature can prove to be quite useful. This article outlines all the different methods of screen mirroring via your iPhone with easy-to-follow steps.

The Apple iPhone Screen Mirroring feature offers the easiest solution and works as long as the device you’re mirroring your screen to is AirPlay 2-compatible. To check whether your television or any other device is compatible, refer to its manual or contact the manufacturer.

Once you’ve verified that your device is AirPlay 2- compatible, you can take the following five steps to activate screen mirroring from your iPhone to your smart TV, Mac, Apple TV, or any other compatible device:

How to Mirror iPhone to TV Using AirPlay

1. Before everything else, you need to turn your television on and make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi as your phone. The steps for this will differ for each TV brand and model. The Wi-Fi settings are generally found in the connectivity section in the primary Settings menu.

On an Apple TV, you can do this by heading to Settings > Network > Wi-Fi. On your iPhone, you can change your Wi-Fi through Settings > Wi-Fi.

2. Swipe down from the upper right corner of your screen on your iPhone to open the Control Center. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen if you’re using an iPhone older than iPhone X.

3. Depending on which iPhone you own and how you’ve customized your Control Center, you should find the Screen Mirroring option or its logo.

4. Once you tap on the Screen Mirroring option, a Window will pop up with a list of all the AirPlay 2-compatible devices on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone. Select the TV to which you want to mirror your screen and enter the passcode [if required] that appears on your TV.

5. When you’re done mirroring your iPhone to your TV, simply open the Control Center on your iPhone again and press Stop Mirroring on the Screen Mirroring window.

Screen Mirroring iPhone to Chromecast: 3 Best Approaches [Updated Guide]

Numerous other third-party apps, software, and applications offer straightforward screen mirroring for iPhone. Some of these methods, such as the Screen Mirroring app method we’ve mentioned below, can be used free of cost. Others, including Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast, are budget-friendly and have numerous additional features and use cases.

The following are some of the most common iPhone screen mirroring methods that you can try:

1. DoCast App

There are several apps available that support iPhone screen mirroring to Chromecast. We’ve tested DoCast, which, on top of screen mirroring, allows you cast photos and videos as well.

Here are the general steps to follow:

1. Download the DoCast screen mirroring app for iPhone from the App Store.

2. Open the app once the installation is complete.

3. Connect the app to your Chromecast.

4. Tap the Screen tile to start screen mirroring.

5. Set the mirroring parameters, such as auto-rotate, video quality, and sound, and then tap the Start mirroring button.

Pros

Fast setup with Chromecast
Free screening mirroring
Supreme latency and HD-quality streaming

Cons

Only works with Chromecast

You’ll need to download a third-party app on your Amazon Fire TV through its App Store. You can download and try any app that you want.

Here are the steps to follow with the AirScreen app on your Fire TV:

1. Download the AirScreen app from the Amazon Fire Appstore.

2. Connect your TV and iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network.

3. Open AirScreen and press Confirm.

4. Scan the displayed QR code on your iPhone.

5. Click on the prompt on your phone.

6. Select Entire Screen or In-App Content from the AirScreen webpage on your phone.

7. Swipe down from the upper right corner of your iPhone [for iPhone X and later] or swipe down on older iPhones to open the Control Center on your phone.

8. Tap on Screen Mirroring and select AS-AFTMM [AirPlay].

Pros

Works with a wide range of devices
Has a screen mirroring app built specifically for Amazon Fire TV
There’s a wide range of apps for screen mirroring available for Amazon Fire TV

Cons

Need a TV app for iOS devices to screen mirror
Latency may not be smooth

Unlike Amazon Fire TV, which requires you to download the app on your TV, this method requires you to download a third-party app on your iPhone. The method that we’ve used includes a free 3-day trial and it works with all Samsung, TCL, Roku, LG, Sony, and Toshiba TVs.

Here’s how it works:

1. Download the Screen mirroring – share cast app from the App Store.

2. Grant the app permission to find and connect to devices on your local network.

3. Open your TV and connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone.

4. Tap on the Screen Mirroring icon and then select your TV.

5. Click the Screen Cast option from the main dashboard and then select Optimize Speed or Optimize Quality to begin screen mirroring.

Pros

Doesn’t require you to download a TV app
A 3-day free trial is available

Cons

Users have complained about latency and connectivity issues

NOTE: You should also note that some applications on your phone, such as YouTube, will let you screen mirror your iPhone to your TV without the need for any third-party app.

If you don’t have an AirPlay 2-compatible TV, you don’t have to ditch the idea of screen mirroring. You can easily mirror your iPhone to a non-compatible TV with the help of an HDMI/VGA cable and Lightning Digital AV Adapter.

Here’s how you can connect your iPhone to a non-compatible device:

1. Connect your Lightning Digital AV Adapter to your phone via its charging port.

2. Connect the HDMI/VGA cable to the adapter and plug the other end into the non-compatible TV, projector, or monitor.

3. Depending on your device, you might need to manually switch the video source to HDMI from the device menu.

4. Your TV should mirror your iPhone after this.

What is Screen Mirroring on an iPhone?

Screen mirroring is an iOS 4.2 [and above] feature that lets you cast or stream visual content from your iPhone to a smart TV, Apple TV, or Mac. It lets you watch videos and pictures or play games on another device in real time. It’s used for home entertainment, meetings, and collaborations by homes, schools, and businesses.

Are Screen Mirroring and Streaming/Casting Different?

Screen mirroring refers to mirroring your entire device onto another device, which allows you to share iPhone screen with others. It displays everything on your phone and everything you’re doing on it in real time. On the other hand, casting, also known as media streaming, refers to displaying only specific visual content on another device.

Unlike screen mirroring, casting lets you use your phone without interrupting what’s being displayed on the other screen. The latter also involves online content often shared via a digital media player.

Is Screen Mirroring for iPhone Safe?

Screen mirroring doesn’t involve physically connecting your iPhone to the mirror-receiving device, which is why it’s super safe. You can use this feature anywhere, with anyone, and for anything without worrying about any safety issues.

There is also no sharing or losing of data through screen mirroring, and your data remains secure on your device. Moreover, screen mirroring works on your local network; if your modem is not configured to allow outside connections, it will remain unreachable.

Does Screen Mirroring Lag?

Screen mirroring can sometimes present lags, so we wouldn’t recommend using it for time-sensitive tasks, such as playing a competitive game. Your TV might be buffering the visual content to play it smoothly, which will introduce a delay on your screen.

If you’re experiencing lags with screen mirroring on your iPhone, don’t worry; this is quite common. However, you can try clearing out data and cache if you think the lag is caused by insufficient storage on your iPhone.

You should also ensure your iPhone runs on the latest iOS to avoid lags. And if all else fails, try using the HDMI method mentioned above.

Can iPhone Screen Mirroring Work Without Wi-Fi?

A Wi-Fi connection is vital for iPhone screen mirroring because it can’t work via Bluetooth. The screen mirroring technology relies on Wi-Fi to connect the screen-mirroring and mirror-receiving devices. You can use your mobile internet and hotspot if you don’t have access to your home Wi-Fi network.

However, remember that your mobile internet might not be free depending on where you live. Furthermore, if you want to use screen mirroring without Wi-Fi, you can try using the HDMI/VGA and Lightning Digital AV Adapter method mentioned above.

These were all the iPhone screen mirroring methods you can try for Apple TV, Mac, smart TV, and other AirPlay 2-compatible and non-compatible devices. Our favorite is the native method, which takes all the hefty work off our hands and doesn’t require any third-party apps or investments.

However, if you want to use screen mirroring on a non-AirPlay 2-compatible device, then HDMI or third-party screen mirroring apps are your best bet. The methods are also different for Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV users.

The good news for Roku users is that it is now compatible with iPhone screen mirroring, meaning you can follow the native method mentioned in this article to mirror your iPhone to Roku TV.

The Screen Mirroring feature is found in the Control Center on an iPhone, which you can access by swiping down on your screen from the upper right corner on newer iPhone models or swiping up from the bottom on older versions of the iPhone. The option can be found below or beside the brightness settings, depending on which iPhone you own.

To set up screen mirroring on an iPhone, you must ensure that the mirror-receiving device is AirPlay 2-compatible and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone. Once you’ve done that, you can take the following steps:

Open the Control Center on your iPhone.
Tap on Screen Mirroring.
Select your device from the list of available devices.
Enter the code if required.
Start using your phone.
Once you’re done, go to Screen Mirroring again and press Stop Mirroring.

Screen Mirror is in the Control Center on your iPhone, which you can access by swiping down on your screen from the upper right corner for newer models or swiping up from the bottom for older models.

If your TV is AirPlay 2-compatible, you can connect your iPhone via Screen Mirroring. However, if it is not AirPlay 2-compatible, you will have to use an HDMI/VGA and a Lightning Digital AV Adapter to connect your iPhone to your TV. You can also use third-party apps on your iPhone, Chromecast, or Amazon Fire TV.

If you don’t have an Apple TV, the best way to mirror your iPhone is to download a screen mirroring app that’s compatible with your smart TV. If you don’t have a smart TV, you can try using a streaming media device with a compatible app, such as a Chromecast with DoCast.

The biggest reason you can’t mirror your iPhone to a TV could be that your TV doesn’t support AirPlay. If you’re using a third-party app with or without a streaming media device, then it could be that they aren’t on the same network, one or both of the devices need an update, you aren’t within Wi-Fi range, or there’s something interfering with or blocking the Wi-Fi signal.

Yes, some modern Samsung TVs support AirPlay, allowing to screen mirror easily. And if they don’t, there are some screen mirroring apps that work with Samsung that you can download from the App Store.

Screen Mirroring iPhone Tutorials: Find the Best Way

Table of Contents

Screen Mirroring iPhone to TV via the Native Feature