How to Connect Your iPhone to a TV

Putting whatever is on your iPhone onto a big TV is one of the nicest ways to share photos with family, watch a video with grandkids from the couch, or show off vacation pictures without passing the phone around. There are two ways to do it: wirelessly with AirPlay, or physically with a cable.

AirPlay is Apple's wireless system. Most smart TVs sold in the last few years — including many Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, and Roku models — have AirPlay built in. If you have an Apple TV box, it has AirPlay too. Your iPhone and the TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. Then you swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone, tap Screen Mirroring, pick the TV from the list, and your iPhone appears on the big screen.

If your TV does not have AirPlay, a cable is the most reliable backup. Apple sells an adapter called the Lightning Digital AV Adapter (about $50) or, for newer iPhones with USB-C ports, a USB-C to HDMI adapter. You plug the adapter into the iPhone, plug an HDMI cable from the adapter into the TV, switch the TV to that HDMI input. And you are up and running.

AirPlay is better for showing a few things and walking around the room. A cable is better for a long movie or when the Wi-Fi is spotty. The picture quality is the same either way.

One common hiccup with AirPlay: if your iPhone cannot see the TV, make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network (some homes have two networks — a main one and a guest one — and they cannot talk to each other). Also make sure the TV is turned on and on the Home screen (some TVs only appear for AirPlay when on the main screen, not when watching cable).