You can share or stream content from your Apple device to your TV using AirPlay. All you need is a compatible TV and an iPhone or iPad.
Most modern smartphones come with HD picture quality and great sound. However, sometimes the screen is just too small, which isn’t ideal for watching movies.
Thanks to Apple adding an AirPlay feature on most of their devices, you can now easily cast your phone screen contents onto your smart TV.
However, it is important to note that not all iOS devices and Smart TVs support the AirPlay feature.
Guide on how to stream videos on your TV using Airplay
Here is a quick and easy tutorial for streaming content from iPhone or iPad to Apple TV.
1. Connect the TV and the iOS device to the same internet
2. On your phone, launch the Photos app or Download folder, depending on where you’ve saved the video you are trying to watch.
3. Locate the video, then click on it to open.
4. At the bottom of the page, click the share icon depicted as a box with a protruding arrow facing upwards
5. Scroll a little and click AirPlay.
6. A list of available devices that are compatible with AirPlay will appear; click the name of the TV you want to see the video on
7. Depending on your TV, a pop-up may appear on display asking you to input the AirPlay code. If you don’t remember setting one, then enter 0000.
How to pause AirPlay video sharing
When you get tired of casting and want to stop, here is a short tutorial on how you can go about it:
- Open the app that you are streaming the video from.
- Tap on the AirPlay icon on the app’s homepage
- At this point, a list of all devices that are compatible with AirPlay will have opened; click on your TV’s name.
4. A prompt will appear asking whether you want to sever the connection; click Disconnect.
How to automatically share videos via AirPlay
This option is ideal if you constantly need to cast videos on your iOS device on your smart TV.
Follow these steps to automatically cast videos from your phone to TV via AirPlay.
- On your iOS device, tap on the Settings icon.
- Scroll downwards, then click on General.
- Tap on AirPlay and Handoff.
- Click on Automatically AirPlay on TVs and set it to Automatic. You can pick Ask; this way, a prompt will appear on your TV screen, prompting you to input a code for the AirPlay request to go through.
- If you click Ask, you will be directed to a page asking you to create a suitable AirPlay code; ensure you set one that’s safe and easy to remember.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most commonly asked questions about streaming videos on TV using AirPlay.
1. My Smart TV isn’t compatible with AirPlay; what can I use to stream videos to my TV??
You have the option of downloading a third-party app. However, if you need a quicker solution, try streaming videos using your USB cable. All you need to do is hook your iOS cable to the HDMI port on the TV.
Also, you could try using the screen mirroring feature. It works most similarly to AirPlay as, just as the name suggests, it mirrors exactly what is on your iOS screen onto the TV screen.
2. Is SharePlay the same as AirPlay?
No, SharePlay and AirPlay are two different apps. SharePlay comes in handy when you want to share the content of your screen with someone else in live time
For example, you can use it in a FaceTime video to share what you are watching. On the other hand, AirPlay casts your entire screen to a TV screen.
3. Can I use AirPlay for other media apart from videos?
Yes, you can. AirPlay will work with almost all media on your phone, even documents.
4. Why doesn’t my iOS device have an AirPlay feature?
It could be that your phone is running on outdated software that was released before AirPlay was released.