How to connect iPad or iPhone to TV to watch videos on the TV screen, using cables, adapters or over Wi-Fi
If the display of the iPhone or iPad is too small to watch movies or TV series it can be a good idea connect them to the TV and benefit from the highest image quality on the big screen TVleaving your mobile device only as a remote control for selecting content and pausing it when needed.
In this guide we have collected all the methods to connect your iPad or iPhone to your TV at home, using both the Wi-Fi connection and making the connection via a dedicated cable. The use of one method or another depends on the television you have at home therefore, before choosing the method and perhaps buying an object among those described in the guide, it is advisable to inquire and find out what they are for and if they are right for us.
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1) Smart TV with AirPlay support
More and more Smart TVs have native support for AirPlay and can therefore receive video and audio streams without having to use other devices connected to the TV sockets.
If our TV is among those with native support for AirPlay, we can use it immediately to watch videos from the iPhone or iPad by connecting the TV to the same Wi-Fi network (where the other Apple devices are present), by opening the app desired on the portable device and pressing the key AirPlayso you can press on the TV name and view the content on the bigger screen.
To find out which TV models are compatible with AirPlay, we advise you to read the Apple official page or check the Amazon dedicated page.
2) AppleTV
The best solution to connect an iPad or iPhone to the TV is definitely the Apple TV 4K.
To use it, simply connect the device’s HDMI cable to one of the TV’s HDMI ports, connect the Apple TV to the Wi-Fi network also used for the iPhone and iPad and proceed with the association of the personal Apple account ( Apple ID).
With the Apple TV Box turned on and connected to the TV, we start the video or stream we want to watch on the iPhone or iPad, press the button at the top AirPlay (shaped like a TV with a triangle) and select the Apple TV for watch video on TV.
The video stream will be managed directly from the Apple TV at the highest quality and we will be able to use the portable Apple device as a sort of remote control to stop, pause or advance playback.
The AirPlay feature can also be used for listen to music from streaming apps and view the photos and videos saved in the internal memory of the iPhone or iPad, just use the File app and share the content via AirPlay.
3) Google Chromecast
As a viable alternative to Apple TV, we can focus on Google Chromecast with Google TV to add the technology needed to wirelessly view iPhone and iPad content.
To use this method, connect the Chromecast to an HDMI port on the TV, connect the power supply then follow the necessary steps to configure it on the home Wi-Fi network, as seen in our guide Turn any TV into a Smart TV with Chromecast.
As soon as the Chromecast is connected, make sure that the iPad or iPhone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, then open the streaming content to view from the tablet or phone and press the button Google Cast, which will appear in the top right of most supported streaming apps; in the new window we select the name of the Chromecast to start the stream directly on the TV, leaving the playback controls on the Apple device (like a sort of remote control).
In this regard, we can also read the suggestions and recommended apps in the guide on how to cast video with chromecast.
4) Wired connection
In addition to wireless connections, it is possible to take advantage of cable connections, so as to be able to transmit the contents of the screen from the iPhone or iPad to the TV without interruptions and at the highest available quality (which is not always guaranteed with Wi-Fi connections).
Lightning/HDMI cable
If we want to use a simple HDMI cable to connect the iPad or iPhone to the TV, we recommend using one HDMI cable for iPhone iPad for less than €20.
By connecting the Lightning socket to the Apple device, the USB socket to a wall charger and the HDMI socket to the TV, we will be able to send the screen of our iPhone or iPad to the TV in Full HDcharging the connected device at the same time.
For the transmission we will have to be close enough to the TV or choose a very long HDMI cable, otherwise we will have to get up every time we want to pause or change streaming content, making it quite uncomfortable to use.
Type-C/HDMI cable
If we own a modern iPad Pro we will no longer have the Lightning port but a new USB Type-C port, which we can use to connect iPad or iPhone to the TV via the USB-C HDMI cable.
By connecting the Type-C socket on the iPad Pro and the HDMI socket to the TV, we will be able to send streaming content even in 4K UHD qualityso you can view Netflix and Amazon Prime Video content broadcast in this quality without the help of apps or other expensive devices.
Compared to the cable seen previously, it is not possible to recharge during use, so we will necessarily have to have a 100% charged iPad to be able to watch a movie in streaming.
SCART adapter
Do we own a very old TV with no HDMI port? In this case we can rely on a HDMI to SCART adapter.
Although the procedure may seem laborious, using this adapter is very simple: we connect the iPad or iPhone via Lighting-HDMI cable to the adapter (socket INPUT), then we connect a SCART cable between the adapter (socket OUTPUT) and the TV, making sure to supply power to the adapter via wall charger. As soon as we’re ready, press on Power and turn on the TV to the source SCARTso you can stream videos from your iPhone and iPad to even very old TVs.
Conclusions
Connecting an iPad or iPhone to your TV is really, really simple, especially if we use Wi-Fi connections (much more comfortable and practical nowadays). For those who want the highest quality or decide to use a cable, we can still find valid solutions to connect Apple devices to both new Smart TVs and old TVs without an HDMI socket.
In another article we told you about how connect the laptop to the TVwhich is still very useful today despite the widespread diffusion of smartphones and tablets.
If, on the other hand, we wanted to watch videos on a Wi-Fi network or from the Internet on an iPhone or iPad, we recommend reading our article on how watch videos over Wi-Fi or from the Internet on iPhone and iPad.
