How many times have we found ourselves in the situation of having to watch a streaming video on the screen of our iPhone, without being able to fully appreciate all the details. Although the latest models of the Apple smartphone have very large displays and with a high number of pixels, the best videos can only be appreciated on a TV, Smart or simple. In this regard, to enjoy a FullHD movie from Netflix, from YouTube or to view the videos recorded with the phone's camera directly on the TV (much more suitable), in this guide we will show you how to add AirPlay on each TV, so you can send multimedia content from iPhone to TV without using any cables and using the Wi-Fi connection in the home. READ ALSO: How to Connect iPad or iPhone to TV with cables or wirelessly
AirPlay on TV
In order to connect the iPhone to the wireless TV we will have to respect some prerequisites and check if the TV in use is ready to receive the AirPlay transmission.Prerequisites
AirPlay is an Apple proprietary technology that allows you to send audio / video content from multimedia apps to another Apple device, while maintaining high sound and image quality. In fact, the operation is similar to Miracast, but with a higher quality and less slowdowns. In order to take advantage of it, we must first update our iPhone and connect it to the home Wi-Fi network, so that we can find the other Apple devices (as we will see in the following chapters of the guide).How to set up AirPlay on compatible Smart TVs
In recent years, new Smart TVs have been launched on the market with native AirPlay support, which allow you to receive audio / video broadcasts directly without the need to adopt a dedicated TV Box; an example of compatible Smart TV is the Samsung UE55RU8000U Smart TV 4K (€ 589).
To check if our Smart TV supports AirPlay, we check the technical data sheet or the instruction manual for the presence of the Apple protocol support (usually included in the information on connectivity or multimedia features). If our TV is compatible, we can receive AirPlay broadcasts by connecting it to your home network with Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then select the app or the reception mode of the AirPlay protocol.
If we have to choose a new TV for the home and we have at least an iPhone, we check that there is support for AirPlay along with the features seen in our guide on How to choose and buy the best Smart TV .
How to add AirPlay on every TV
AirPlay is only compatible with other Apple devices or with Apple-certified Smart TVs: this means that having a Smart TV connected via home Wi-Fi is not enough to send the video from the iPhone to the TV.To bring AirPlay to any modern TV with an HDMI port, simply buy the Apple TV, the set-top-box signed by Apple for sale for less than € 300.
To enable AirPlay, place it near the TV to be exploited, connect it to the home router / modem via Wi-Fi or via Ethernet cable (if close enough) and log in with our Apple account; in a few seconds we will be able to receive AirPlay from any iPhone in our wireless network.
To learn more about Apple TV, we recommend you read our guide on When Apple TV 4K pays off: pros and cons .
How to stream videos or locally via AirPlay
After adding or activating AirPlay on our TV, we open the multimedia app on our iPhone, then look for the AirPlay button near the video or on the edges of the app (the symbol is in the shape of a TV with a triangle at the bottom); in some cases we will first have to press the Share button to be able to access the AirPlay button, for example for the videos in the phone gallery.
Once pressed on the button, the AirPlay compatible devices on the network will be displayed: we select the Apple TV or the compatible Smart TV to start playback on it.
Note : iPhone may automatically play video with AirPlay on the frequently used Apple TV or compatible Smart TV. If you open a video app and see the AirPlay symbol in the upper left corner, it means that automatic playback is active on the most used TV or TV Box.
How to duplicate the iPhone screen with AirPlay
In addition to sending multimedia content on compatible apps, we can also duplicate the iPhone screen on the TV, so as to view all the apps and our gestures on the larger screen.To duplicate the screen, scroll up from the bottom edge or scroll down from the top right corner (from iPhone X and later), press the Duplicate screen button then select our compatible Apple TV or Smart TV.
An AirPlay code is displayed on the TV screen, to be inserted inside the iPhone to allow the transmission of the screen; in this way we will see on TV everything we do on the phone (including sounds).
NOTE : The TV maintains the orientation of the screen and the aspect ratio (length / width) of the iPhone. To fill the TV screen with the phone screen, we unlock the rotation and use it horizontally or change the zoom settings of the TV.
Conclusions
Adding and using AirPlay on your TV is very simple: just equip yourself with the Apple TV Box or a very recent Smart TV and we can send the streaming videos or videos recorded with our phone to the screen of our TV. If instead we need to view an app in full screen, we can take advantage of the Duplicate screen function.To find out all the methods to connect a smartphone to TV via wireless or cable (also for Android smartphones), we refer you to reading our guides that also talk about how to transmit the smartphone screen on TV and how to connect the Android smartphone to the TV. (wired or wireless) .
Also remember that you can see the iPhone and iPad screen on PC with AirPlay Duplication .
READ ALSO: When the Apple TV 4K pays off: strengths and weaknesses
