How to connect an iPhone or iPad to a TV or a computer monitor

There are moments when the screen on an iPhone or iPad just isn’t big enough – when you want to show off your photos to your friends, when you want to enjoy a movie to the fullest, or when you want to do a presentation in front of your colleagues, to give a few examples.

At the same time, we’re often near a bigger screen, such as the one on a TV or your computer’s monitor. The solution? Hook up your iPhone or iPad to the larger display, of course! Let’s go through the available methods of doing so.

The easiest way to mirror your iPhone or iPad screen to a TV would be to use AirPlay, which is Apple’s own wireless sharing solution. A variety of modern TVs manufactured by LG, Samsung and other big names do come with AirPlay support, so if you do own a TV with it, look no further than this simple method.

First, make sure that your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the smart TV. Then on your iPhone or iPad open the Control Center by swiping down from the upper-right corner of the screen. Lastly, tap “Screen Mirroring” and choose the smart TV you wish to mirror to. You may additionally see a passcode appear on your TV’s screen, simply input the numbers into your iPhone or iPad.

If your TV didn’t show up after you tapped on “Screen Mirroring”, make sure that the TV is AirPlay-compatible, and is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone or iPad.

First, the good news: iPhones and iPads have video output capabilities and mirroring support baked right into them. As for the bad news, taking advantage of these capabilities requires the purchase of additional hardware, such as the special Lightning to HDMI adapter from Apple. These retail for $49 apiece, which is quite a lot, especially when you take into account that an HDMI cable is not included. You have to either buy one separately or borrow the cable used with your receiver, set-top box, or video game console. Note that if you have the newest iPad Pro, you will actually need a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter, since Apple’s latest slates don’t have the proprietary Lightning connector.

Using a Lightning to HDMI adapter to bring your media to the big screen has a number of downsides. First and foremost, the connection is wired instead of wireless. Sure, you’re not consuming any of your Wi-Fi’s bandwidth, but you’ll likely miss the convenience of flipping through movies from the comfort of your couch. Furthermore, there are some complaints about resolution inconsistencies and softer images when using a cable to connect your iDevice to a bigger screen.

But if you choose to go with this method anyway, just go ahead and hook up your adapter to your device. Use an HDMI cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to your TV via the adapter. Make sure you’ve switched your TV to the input where your phone or tablet is connected. Within seconds, your device will automatically start sending video and audio data to your TV. Note that the image projected on your TV’s screen will be slightly delayed. This lag is caused by the adapter converting the signal and is not a malfunction. 

Apple’s adapter also lets you connect your iPhone or iPad to a computer monitor with HDMI input. And if using HDMI is not possible for whatever reason, Apple is offering a Lightning to VGA adapter ($49) as well. It is compatible with the great majority of TVs and computer monitors, but it can’t transmit any audio.

• Buy the Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter from Amazon
• Buy the Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter from Apple
• Buy a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter (for iPad Pro models without a Lightning port) from Amazon

You’ve heard of the Apple TV, haven’t you? It is Apple’s set-top box that lets you enjoy movies and music on your TV’s big screen. Also, it comes with AirPlay support, allowing for mirroring the screen of your iPhone or iPad right onto your TV’s display – wirelessly, over your home’s Wi-Fi network. 

Enabling AirPlay mirroring over Apple TV is a pretty straightforward process. You just have to make sure that both your iDevice and your Apple TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Once that’s taken care of, an AirPlay icon will show up in your Control Center. Tap it, select the Apple TV and enable mirroring. Voilà! Your device’s screen will now show up on your TV.

• Buy an Apple TV from Apple

So, let’s say that you want to enjoy using your iPhone or iPad onto a larger screen, such as the one on your computer, but neither of the aforementioned methods suits your needs or budget. Well, there’s a third option – download a 3rd party app, which helps your iPhone and your PC to communicate.

We found Reflector 3 to be great for our needs. In a nutshell, it turns a computer, be it a Mac or a PC, into an AirPlay receiver. The software works wirelessly, over Wi-Fi, or via USB, in case your computer does not have a Wi-Fi adapter. Overall, it is a pretty cool and inexpensive solution, and does have a free trial version for up to 7 days, if you wish to try it first.

Using it to play large video files over Wi-Fi is not ideal, due to some lag and frame skips, but it’s a great way to share pictures from your latest trip on the big screen.

To use Reflector wirelessly, just get the app from its website and launch it on your computer. Note that a window may not pop up at all, but an icon in your app tray should definitely be present, indicating that Reflector is up and running. This is your cue to reach for your iPhone or iPad and enable AirPlay from Control Center. If the AirPlay button is not present, make sure that your computer and phone or tablet are onto the same wireless network. Using Reflector over USB is just as easy – just wire up your device to your computer and launch the app. Then you’ll find the AirPlay button in your Control Center. Note that if your desktop computer is wired to the Wi-Fi router your iDevice connected to, Reflector should still work over the air. 

• To get Reflector for PC or Mac, click here.