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How to Stream from iPhone to TV: Choose Your Own Way

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Updated on: September 19, 2023
Time to read: 9 minutes
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When streaming iPhone to TV, you can use wireless options, including AirPlay 2 and Google’s Chromecast, amongst others. You just need to choose the option that works best for your situation, and in this guide, we are going to expand on these options to help you decide. We will also show you how to use screen mirroring in case you’re failing to stream from iPhone to TV.

Table of Contents

How to Stream from Your iPhone to a Smart TV Wirelessly

Stream iPhone to Chromecast: DoCast vs Chromecaster

Perhaps the easiest way to get media from your iPhone to appear on the big screen is to connect the phone and TV wirelessly. You can use AirPlay 2 if your TV supports it or you can use a media streaming device, such as the Chromecast from Google.

Stream from iPhone to TV with AirPlay 2 – Apple’s Native Solution

AirPlay 2 is Apple’s latest wireless communication protocol that lets you share media from your iPhone to any AirPlay-enable device, such as smart TVs and speakers. You can check on Apple’s website for the list of TVs that support AirPlay to see if you can use it with yours.

Then, you can use the steps below to make your iPhone stream to TV:

1. Connect the iPhone and TV to the same wireless network.

2. Open the app with the media you want to stream.

3. If you don’t see the AirPlay button right away, you may need to tap the Share button first.

Sometimes, you have to tap the Share first before you press the AirPlay button

4. Tap the AirPlay button. 

Tap the AirPlay button

5. Tap on your TV on the list of devices.

Select your TV

Now the media will appear on the big screen. As you can tell this is the easiest and most free way to stream content from your iPhone to your TV, but the problem is that not many TVs support AirPlay 2. There’s a way to get around that, though.

How to Stream from iPhone to Smart TV with Chromecast

A Chromecast is a media streaming device from Google. Once you connect it to your TV through the HDMI port, you can essentially turn that TV into a smart TV. You can watch movies and TV shows from streaming services, such as Netflix and HBO Max, or listen to music from Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also stream media from your iPhone to the Chromecast, which will make it appear on your TV screen. You need to download the Google Home app on your iPhone to connect your phone to the Chromecast. Once done, streaming from your iPhone to that TV is simple.

Set up the Chromecast on the Google Home app

In this example, we’re going to use an app named DoCast, but the App Store has many more options.

1. Connect the iPhone and TV to the same wireless network.

2. Open the App Store on your iPhone and download DoCast.

download docast from the app store

3. Open DoCast once it’s downloaded and wait for it to detect your Chromecast.

4. Tap on your Chromecast when it appears on the list of devices.

select your chromecast on docast app

5. Tap Photos or Videos.

6. Adjust your streaming options, including the video quality and microphone on/off.

docast app custom casting controls

7. Anything you tap from the Gallery will be immediately shown on your TV.

While Chromecast is easy to set up and stream, there is an additional cost of purchasing the hardware –  the cheapest model is $30. But the beauty about it is that the Chromecast is highly portable and can find TVs with Chromecast already built into them.

How to Stream iPhone to TV Wirelessly in Other Ways

If you don’t have an AirPlay-enabled TV or Chromecast device, there are several other media streaming devices that you can use to stream your iPhone to a TV. One of the most popular options in the Amazon Fire Stick, with models like the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick Lite, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max being AirPlay-enabled. Roku streaming sticks are another popular for iPhone to TV streaming, as some of them also use AirPlay.

If you have a DLNA-compatible TV, you can also stream media from your iPhone to it. You just need to download a DLNA player app from the App Store, such as TV Cast for DLNA Smart TV or DLNA Player: TV Cast & Stream. Then, once you connect the iPhone and TV to the same network, you can use these apps to stream.

A combined picture with arrows pointing to the Cast button. On the left, you have TV Cast for DLNA Smart TV, and on the right, you have DLNA Player: TV Cast & Stream

Streaming vs Mirroring

When you can’t stream from your iPhone to your TV, you can try screen mirroring. The difference between the two is that when streaming, your phone sends the video or audio signal to the TV screen so that it can be played, and mirroring, as the name suggests, duplicates the whole phone’s display onto the screen.

Just keep in mind that when mirroring, certain apps, like Netflix and Disney+, will not be able to display content on the screen – you will most likely see a black screen or error code. That’s because they are content-restricted apps.

Mirroring to Smart TV’s Browser

Smart TVs usually have a built-in browser that you can use to access websites. You can use that as a bridge to share your iPhone’s screen using third-party apps. In this guide, we’re going to use AirDroid Cast. 

However, keep in mind that this method won’t work on all smart TVs with a browser – as the browser needs to be up to date to support AirDroid Cast’s streaming technology. You can even mirror with this app even if the TV and iPhone are not on the same network or with Wi-Fi range from each other.

With that said, here’s how to mirror your iPhone to a TV with AirDroid Cast.

1. Download AirDroid Cast onto your iPhone from the App Store and launch it.

Download AirDroid Cast from the App Store

2. Now launch the browser on your smart TV and enter webcast.airdroid.com in the address bar. This will display both a QR code and a 9-digit cast code on your TV screen.

3. In AirDroid Cast, enter the cast code in the text box that says Enter the Cast Code and then tap Start Casting.

Enter the cast code on the TV into your iPhone

You can also press the button with the square next to the text box to open your iPhone’s camera so you can scan the QR code.

Tap this button to open your iPhone’s camera so you can scan the QR code

4. On your TV screen, you will see a pop-up asking you to give the iPhone permission to cast to the browser. Select Allow.

5. In AirDroid Cast, tap Start Broadcast.

6. You see a pop-up, and all you have to do is tap Start Broadcast.

Tap Start Broadcast

Your iPhone’s screen will now appear in the browser and you can open apps like Photos to watch your videos and view photos. You can even open the YouTube app and start streaming from iPhone to TV that way. But the downside is that you need an internet connection for both your phone and TV to work, on top of performing additional steps.

How to Connect iPhone to TV Using an HDMI Cable

If iPhone screen mirroring wirelessly doesn’t work for you, you can physically connect your iPhone to your TV using an HDMI cable. For this to work, you’ll need to purchase a Lighting-to-HDMI adapter.

With an HDMI cable connected to your TV, follow the steps below to use the adapter:

1. Connect the Lighting-to-HDMI adapter to your iPhone’s lightning port.

Use adapters to connect your devices

2. Connect your HDMI cable to the Lighting-to-HDMI adapter’s HDMI port.

3. On your TV, switch the input source to HDMI.

Your iPhone’s screen should now be mirrored onto your TV screen with no additional settings to worry about. And as you can tell, the biggest drawback of this method is that your phone needs to be hooked to an HDMI cable all the time, which limits your ability to move around.

Conclusion

In most cases, it should be easy to stream from iPhone to TV if you’re using an AirPlay-enabled TV or a media streaming device. That way, you can enjoy some content on the big screen. And if streaming wirelessly isn’t an option, you can also mirror your iPhone’s screen using a third-party app or HDMI cable.

Of these methods, we highly recommend using AirPlay since it requires no extra downloads or hardware. But if you have a TV that doesn’t support Apple’s wireless communication protocol, then a Chromecast with an app like DoCast is the next best thing when it comes to streaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you can AirPlay from iPhone to TV by opening the media you want to play on your iPhone and tapping on the AirPlay button, if the app has one, and then selecting your TV. You can also do it from the Control Panel by tapping on the Screen Mirroring button — it looks like two intersecting squares.

You can use a third party app, such as DoCast or AirDroid Cast  with its ability to cast an iPhone’s screen to a TV’s browser. Another way is to find an app that uses the same wireless protocol (DLNA, for example) as your TV. An if all else fails, use an HDMI adapter that plugs into your iPhone’s Lightning port.

If your Samsung TV is AirPlay-compatible, you can easily use the iPhone’s AirPlay features. Without that, you’d have to use a media streaming device with an app like DoCast to connect the two.

You can wirelessly connect your iPhone to your smart TV using AirPlay, media streaming device, or third-party app (Google Home, DoCast, and AirDroid) that supports the wireless connection protocol that your TV uses.

You will need a Chromecast or any other streaming device, along with a screen casting or mirroring app like DoCast.