How to mirror an iPhone/iPad to your TV

Knowing how to mirror the content that is displayed on your iPhone screen directly to your TV will unlock a whole world of new possibilities.

AirPlay was initially introduced to the market in 2010 as part of the iOS 4 update, essentially it enabled audio, video and photos to be streamed via an Apple TV device. In 2018  Apple went one step further and launched AirPlay 2.

The release of AirPlay 2 prompted the large manufacturers such as LG, Samsung and Sony to announce that some of their TV models would now incorporate the technology. This essentially allowed the user to mirror their iPhone display directly to a television without the need for any other device.

• But what does all this mean?

Screen mirroring allows you to duplicate the entire screen of your iPhone directly on to a TV. Anything that you do on your iPhone whilst screen mirroring is active will be displayed on the TV. This is an excellent way to show a group of people something that is on your Apple device without having them crowd around a small screen.

You can even flip your device from landscape to portrait and the movement will be replicated on the TV.

• What devices are compatible?

If you have a compatible TV and iPhone, any iPhone, starting at the iPhone 5S all the way up to the latest, iPhone 13 will be able to perform this function. If your device falls within the compatible range, please see the step by step guide below:

Step 1: Connect your AirPlay 2-compatible TV to a Wi-Fi network. Please be aware that each TV is different, so you will need to refer to the manufacturer’s instruction manual. The TV will need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.

Step 2: Open the Control Center on your iPhone. This can be done by swiping down from the upper-right corner of the screen on an iPhone X or later. If you have an older iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Then, tap the Screen Mirroring icon.

Step 3: You should see your television listed as one of the compatible Screen Mirror devices (it is also possible to screen mirror if you have an Apple TV attached to a television). Select your TV model from the list displayed and enter the passcode that appears on your TV into your iOS device, if you are prompted to do so.

Step 4: What is displayed on your iPhone screen will now appear on your TV. Any action you perform on your iPhone will be mirrored on the TV screen.

Step 5: When you want to finish your screen mirroring session, open the Control Center again (detailed in Step 2). Tap ‘Screen Mirroring’ and select ‘Stop Mirroring’.