This article is part of our TVs & Home Entertainment resource section
Ways to Connect Your iPhone or iPad to Your TV
Whatever your reasons could be, connecting your iPhone to a TV or computer monitor is simple. Connecting an iPhone to a bigger screen can be a feasible replacement for a smart TV since photos and movies are displayed at the full quality – far better than the restricted resolution of your iPhone. You have three options for connecting your iPhone to a television or monitor: utilizing an AV connection, using your iPhone’s built-in screen mirroring capabilities, or using AirPlay from third-party apps like Hulu. Connecting your iPad to a TV is much the same method, and both your iPhone and iPad can use the same adaptor or Apple TV.
Before choosing a connection method, consider the capabilities of the television itself. HDMI ports, wireless screen-mirroring support, available streaming apps, display resolution, and connectivity options can all affect how conveniently your Apple device works with a TV. If you are also comparing televisions or planning an upgrade, our definitive smart TV buying guide explains the important features to consider before choosing a model.
Remember that if you want to view streaming services like Apple TV+, Netflix, or Hulu on your television, mirroring your iPhone or iPad is neither essential nor feasible. Instead, you may invest in a low-cost streaming media device like the Roku Streaming Stick+ or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, put it into your TV, and control it with a real remote. Click here for our top Free-to-Air TV providers guide.
Mirroring is still helpful if you want to playback movies you’ve recorded on your smartphone, show off your picture library, create a slideshow, surf social media communally, or show off your iOS gaming talents on the big screen. Continue reading to learn how to connect your iPhone to TV.
Connecting with an HDMI Cable
A wired connection is the easiest way of connecting an Apple device to a television. You may utilize Apple’s Lightning Digital AV adapter for an iPod touch, iPad, or iPhone with a Lightning connector, which costs around $40. While external adapters are less expensive, keep in mind that they won’t work with copy-protected streaming video applications like Netflix. You’ll also need to arrange a cable on your own so purchase one that is long enough to help sit on a couch away from the screen.
Simply connect the HDMI cable to one end of your TV and the converter to the other, connect the cable with your Apple device and the television to the proper input. To protect your iOS device’s battery from depleting, put a charger into the adapter’s second input.
The majority of applications will simply mirror the display of the iOS device onto the screen, however, video apps like and Netflix and Amazon Prime may provide permanent playback facility while the film is playing on the TV.
Before purchasing an adapter, check which ports your television supports and whether the adapter is compatible with your particular iPhone or iPad connector. The same consideration applies when connecting to a specific television model: its available inputs and supported features determine which connection methods are practical. For a separate model reference, see our overview of the ZO35-G25DA74 model TV.
Connect Via AirPlay
If you don’t want to be bothered with wires, you can use the wireless AirPlay protocol to broadcast movies and music to any Apple TV. This lets you mirror the display of your iPad or iPhone on the big screen or broadcast video and audio from compatible applications.
Here’s how you mirror the display on your iPad or iPhone:
Make sure that all your devices have the same Wi-Fi connection.
For a reliable connection, keep your Apple device and television connected to the same trusted home network. Avoid using unsecured public Wi-Fi for screen mirroring, particularly when displaying personal photos, private messages, or other sensitive information. You should also review the privacy and security settings on your television and connected devices. Our guide to smart TV security tips covers additional precautions for protecting connected televisions.
- Pull down the Control Center from the upper-right corner of your iPhone or iPad has an iOS 12 or newer to see a menu. For previous iOS versions, swipe up to access Control Center.
- Select “Screen Mirroring” from the drop-down menu.
- Choose the Apple TV option from the menu. (In case you have numerous Apple TVs, name each one according to the room it’s in.)
- Input the 4-digit pin code that displays on the big screen. (You will only have to perform this the first time for every single device by default.)
- For disconnection, follow the above steps 1 to 3, then choose “Stop Mirroring” from the menu.
Bear in mind that mirroring isn’t required for many audio and video apps. Instead, just click the AirPlay option while listening to or watching a video. Select Apple TV from the menu list (it seems like a TV with a triangular shape at the end). Alternatively, open Control Center and select the AirPlay option.
Connecting through third party Apps
If you’re missing out on Apple TV and don’t want to spend the money on an adapter cable, you may utilize screen mirroring apps to display your iPad, iPhone screen on Fire TV, Chromecast devices, and Roku.
Several apps claim to do this, with varying degrees of success but consulting’s Screen Mirroring apps for these apps work well. These apps capture video from your iOS device and broadcast it to the streaming player using iOS’ Screen Recording functionality. (You’ll need to download a separate app on the player for the Roku and Fire TV apps, but the iOS app will walk you through the procedure.)
There are a few drawbacks: there will be some latency, the video quality isn’t ideal, and unless you upgrade to the paid versions of these programs, you’ll have to go through an ad before you can mirror. These programs, however, are enough for mirroring photographs, websites, presentations, and social media feeds.
Be aware that you can broadcast video, audio, images, and information to your TV with Chromecast from thousands of apps. You won’t need to mirror your iPhone or iPad display because these apps will allow you to play content straight on the television.
Compatibility can vary between television brands, operating systems, and individual models. If you are considering a TCL television for streaming or screen mirroring, review its available connectivity options and smart TV platform before choosing a device or app. Our TCL TV review provides additional information about TCL televisions that may help when evaluating that option.
