If you want to mirror your phone to your TV, then we’ve got all the tips and tricks, and we’ll cover mirroring your iPhone, your Android phone and even your Samsung Galaxy.
How to mirror iPhone to your TV
If you’ve got an iPhone SE, an iPhone 11 or just about any previous Apple device that can be updated to the latest version of iOS, then there are many ways to get content from your phone to your television.
As with anything Apple, we’ve found the best experience comes from sticking within the brand’s exhaustive ecosystem. This isn’t always cheap, but, for us, it’s reliable. If you’re sticking with Apple products then you can pick up an Apple TV (there’s both a 4K and 1080p version available), plug it in via HDMI, and you’re away.
Apple devices have a sharing feature called AirPlay (it’s currently on its second version, so AirPlay 2) that lets you easily beam content from apps like Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple’s own TV plus app over Wi-Fi to the Apple TV. You can also AirPlay your entire home screen to your Apple TV; ideal for showcasing presentations or giving walkthroughs.
AirPlay 2 is actually built directly into certain, newer Smart TVs from the likes of LG, Samsung and in the US Vizio letting you ditch the box completely.
Apple TVs aren’t the cheapest though, and if you want a more affordable way of beaming content, it’s definitely worth looking at a Chromecast or other cheap Casting stick. You’ll hear Chromecast and casting mentioned a lot in this article, but it really is a simple and cost-effective way to beam stuff from your phone to your TV. Even though it’s a Google product, loads of apps like Netflix, BT Sport and Now TV let you cast from an iPhone to a Chromecast. The same casting interface also works on Roku Streaming Sticks in apps like Netflix and YouTube.
Your TV might also support casting, especially in Google apps like YouTube. To check this, open up the YouTube app on your phone and tap the casting symbol (a rectangle with three lines in the corner) and any local internet-connected device that supports casting will pop up.
With an iPhone, though, you can’t cast your phone home screen via a Chromecast.
How to mirror iPad to your TV
All of the options above for mirroring your iPhone to the TV also work with an iPad. If you’ve got one of the two iPads with a USB-C port (the iPad Pro 2018 or iPad Pro 2020), you can attach that via a USB-C to HDMI cable to a television or monitor.
How to mirror your Android phone to your TV
The easiest wireless way to mirror your Android phone to a TV is through either a Chromecast dongle or an Android TV box. There’s a basic 1080p Chromecast available, but if you want to beam 4K HDR content from Netflix or Play Movies, you’ll want the pricier Chromecast Ultra. Android TV boxes are more fully-featured but also still support the basic Chromecast functions – our favourite one is the Nvidia Shield.
As both Android and Chromecast are Google products, casting is built deep into Android. You can beam your entire screen to the TV right from your phone’s home screen.
You can also beam stuff from apps like YouTube directly to certain smart TVs and other streaming sticks, like the Roku stick.
How to mirror your Samsung phone to a TV
Samsung’s phones run Android, so all the steps above will work here too. However, the Korean brand loves to add its own software tweaks. There’s a Samsung Smart View app available that can share movies etc. with older Samsung Smart TVs (compatible TVs will have been released between 2011 and 2016), and this can also act a remote control too.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 review
If you’ve got a newer Samsung Smart TV (released from 2016 onwards), then you can the use Smart Things app by connecting your Samsung phone up to the TV.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
