Screen mirroring to a TV: which way works on yours
There are three wireless systems: Apple's AirPlay, Google Cast and Miracast. Your phone or computer and your TV have to share one of them, and which ones a TV has depends on its brand and year. Find your TV in the table, then follow the steps for your device.
Updated 18 October 2026
Not sure which TV you have? Open our What TV Do I Have test in the TV's own browser. It names the platform, such as Tizen, webOS, Google TV, Roku or Fire TV, and that is what decides which systems your TV takes.
Mirroring or casting?
- Mirroring shows your whole screen on the TV. In Samsung's words, exactly what is on your phone appears on the TV. Roku notes that the phone has to stay on the whole time.
- Casting sends one video or song from an app. The TV plays it by itself, and Samsung says the phone then works like a remote.
Google uses the word "cast" for both, which is why the two get mixed up. For films and series, casting from the app is the better choice: the TV streams the video itself, while Google says a cast Chrome tab is limited to 720p.
Which system your TV takes
| TV | From iPhone, iPad or Mac | From Android | From Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung | AirPlay, on select models from 2018 to 2025 | Smart View (Miracast) | Wireless display (Miracast) |
| LG | AirPlay, on the 2018 to 2024 models in LG's list, and on 2025 models | Screen Share (Miracast); Google Cast on 2025 models | Wireless display (Miracast) |
| Sony with Google TV | AirPlay | Google Cast | Cast from Chrome |
| Sony with Android TV | AirPlay on some 2018 to 2021 models | Google Cast; Miracast only on some 2019 and older models | Cast from Chrome |
| Sony without Android | None | Miracast, depending on the model | Miracast, depending on the model |
| Roku TV and Roku players | AirPlay on most current models | Screen mirroring (Miracast), not from Pixel phones | Wireless display (Miracast) |
| Fire TV Stick and Cube | None | Display Mirroring (Miracast) | Wireless display (Miracast) |
| Fire TV smart TVs | AirPlay on some models | Display Mirroring (Miracast) | Wireless display (Miracast) |
| Hisense | AirPlay on Google TV and Roku TV models, and on some VIDAA models | Google Cast on Google TV; Screen Sharing on VIDAA | Screen Sharing on VIDAA |
| TCL with Google TV | No AirPlay built in, says TCL | Google Cast | Cast from Chrome |
| Philips (outside North America) | AirPlay on the 2024 to 2026 models in Philips' list | Google Cast on Android TV and Google TV; Miracast on Linux sets | Cast from Chrome to Google TV |
| Vizio | AirPlay on eligible SmartCast TVs back to 2016 | Google Cast | Cast from Chrome |
TCL and Hisense TVs that run Roku or Fire TV follow the Roku and Fire TV rows. A few older players have no Miracast: Amazon lists the Fire TV 3rd Gen from 2017 and the first Fire TV Cube from 2018, and Roku the Express 3700 and Express+ 3710, which still take AirPlay. You can check on the TV itself, too: Samsung says that if Settings, General shows no Apple AirPlay Settings, the TV has no AirPlay, and Amazon says the same about Display Mirroring on a Fire TV.
From an iPhone or iPad (AirPlay)
- Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
- Open Control Center: swipe down from the top right corner. On an iPhone 8 or older, swipe up from the bottom.
- Tap Screen Mirroring and choose the TV. If a code appears on the TV, type it on the iPhone.
- To stop, open Control Center again and tap Screen Mirroring, then Stop Mirroring.
If the TV does not appear, check that AirPlay is switched on in the TV:
- Samsung: Settings, General, Apple AirPlay Settings. On newer models Connection takes the place of General.
- LG: press the Input button, then Home Dashboard, AirPlay, AirPlay and HomeKit settings, AirPlay On.
- Sony: Settings, System, Apple AirPlay & HomeKit, and update the TV first.
- Roku: Settings, Apple AirPlay and HomeKit.
- Fire TV smart TV: Settings, Display & Sounds, AirPlay & HomeKit.
The TV has no AirPlay? Apps with a Cast button, such as YouTube, can still cast from an iPhone to a TV with Google Cast; Google supports iPhones from iOS 12. For the whole screen you need an AirPlay TV, an Apple TV, or an app such as our Screen Mirroring app, described below.
From an Android phone
- Samsung Galaxy: swipe down from the top right to open Quick settings, tap Smart View, and choose the TV. Samsung stresses that Smart View is not an app you download. Galaxy phones from the S8 also have Tap View for most 2020 Samsung TVs: tap the phone on the TV's frame.
- Other phones: the same button has other names. Roku lists Smart View, Quick Connect, SmartShare, Wireless display, Screen casting and Cast, among others, and LG calls its side Screen Share.
- To a Google TV or Chromecast: in the Google Home app, touch and hold the TV's tile, then Cast, Cast my screen. Google says this needs Android 8.0 or later. Pixel phones can add a Cast tile to Quick Settings.
- To a Fire TV: first open Settings, Display & Sounds, Enable Display Mirroring on the Fire TV, then start mirroring on the phone.
- To a Roku: allow the phone in the prompt on the TV. Roku says Google's own phones, such as Pixel, cannot mirror to it.
From a Windows laptop or PC
Windows mirrors to TVs with Miracast. On Windows 11, press the Windows key and K together and choose the TV. On Windows 10, press the Windows key and P, then Connect to a wireless display. Accept the request on the TV if it asks.
- Newer Sony TVs have no Miracast. Sony says to cast from the Chrome browser instead: Chrome menu, Cast, then pick the TV, or choose Cast screen under Sources for the whole desktop. The same works for any TV with Google Cast.
- Windows says you need a cable? Microsoft says the PC itself then has no Miracast, so connect it with an HDMI cable.
- The TV has no Miracast? Microsoft says a Miracast adapter in one of its HDMI ports adds it.
- Work laptops and VPNs can block Miracast, Sony notes.
From a Mac
Open Control Center in the menu bar, click Screen Mirroring, and choose the TV. Type the code if one appears. You can then mirror the whole screen, use the TV as a second screen, or share one window. This needs a TV with AirPlay. For a TV with Google Cast, cast a tab or the whole screen from Chrome instead.
When mirroring does not work
- Same Wi-Fi, same band. Every maker asks for the same network. Google, LG and Sony add: the same band too, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. With a Wi-Fi extender, Sony says the phone and the TV may not find each other if one is on the extender and the other on the router.
- Not on a guest, hotel or public network. Google says these often block devices from seeing each other, and that the router setting called AP or client isolation must be off. Samsung says AirPlay does not work over a mobile hotspot.
- VPN off. Apple, Google and Samsung all name it.
- The TV setting is on. AirPlay switched on, Display Mirroring enabled on a Fire TV, and on Google TV the Google Cast app enabled, which Google says can be switched off. Accept the request on the TV when it asks.
- Close enough. Google says within 4 meters (15 feet) for a smooth picture, Amazon within 10 meters (30 feet).
- Brand specifics. LG says a router set to a DFS channel (52 to 144) can stop the connection. Sony says a Google TV set up as a basic TV cannot receive casts. Roku says a Roku TV can drop off the Wi-Fi in standby, and that Fast TV start in the power settings keeps it connected.
- Restart the phone, the TV and the router, and update the TV.
Black picture with Netflix or Prime Video? Samsung says copy-protected video cannot be mirrored. Use the app's own Cast button instead, or the app on the TV.
When your TV has none of these
A streaming stick adds a system: Chromecast or Google TV Streamer for Google Cast, Fire TV Stick or Roku for Miracast, and many Roku players for AirPlay. Two of our own apps also fill the gap:
- Screen Mirroring app mirrors the whole screen of an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook to a Roku, a Fire TV, a Chromecast or Google TV, or any TV with a web browser. It is free to install, with one-time upgrades.
- Video & TV Cast sends videos from websites, not the whole screen, from an iPhone or Android phone to Samsung, LG, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and DLNA TVs. It cannot cast copy-protected services such as Netflix or Prime Video.
Questions people ask
How do I mirror my iPhone to my TV?
Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi as the TV, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring and choose the TV. This needs a TV with AirPlay, such as select Samsung TVs from 2018, LG from 2018, many Roku models, Sony with Google TV and Vizio SmartCast TVs. If a code appears on the TV, type it on the iPhone.
Can I mirror my iPhone to a Fire TV Stick?
Not with the iPhone's own Screen Mirroring. Amazon says iPhones and Macs cannot mirror to a Fire TV, which uses Miracast, and that AirPlay is only on some Fire TV smart TVs. Apps with a receiver on the Fire TV, such as our Screen Mirroring app, can fill the gap.
Why can't I find my TV when screen mirroring?
Usually the phone and the TV are not on the same Wi-Fi, or not on the same band, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. A guest network, a VPN or a mobile hotspot can block it too. Also check that the feature is switched on in the TV, such as AirPlay or, on a Fire TV, Display Mirroring.
Does my Samsung TV have AirPlay?
Select Samsung TVs from 2018 to 2025 have AirPlay 2. To check, open Settings, General on the TV, or Connection on newer models: if there is no Apple AirPlay Settings entry, Samsung says your TV does not support it.
Why is the screen black when I mirror Netflix?
Because copy-protected video cannot be mirrored, as Samsung says. Use the Cast button inside the Netflix app instead, or open the app on the TV itself. Casting also leaves your phone free.
Sources
Every step on this page comes from the makers' own support pages:
- Apple: mirror an iPhone or iPad, mirror a Mac, when it does not work
- Google: cast an Android screen, better screen casting, cast from Chrome, cast a tab, cast from apps, cast to Google TV, Google Cast FAQ
- Microsoft: wireless display, fix wireless displays
- Samsung: screen mirroring, Smart View problems, AirPlay 2, AirPlay models, connect your phone, Tap View
- LG: AirPlay 2 models, mirror a phone, mirror a PC, 2025 Google Cast
- Sony: mirror and cast by model, Screen mirroring, AirPlay models, casting fails, mirror a PC
- Roku: screen mirroring, AirPlay, casting
- Amazon: mirror to Fire TV, cannot mirror, AirPlay on Fire TV smart TVs
- Others: Hisense, Hisense VIDAA manual, TCL, Philips, Vizio AirPlay, Vizio Chromecast, Vizio AirPlay from 2016, Panasonic