Your Mac or iPhone on a TV without Apple TV: AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI explained

You want to show a video from your iPhone on the big TV, or put your presentation from your MacBook on the screen in the meeting room. At home there’s a Samsung, at your in-laws a Philips, at the office a ClickShare. Not an Apple TV in sight. In this whitepaper from the series “Mac and the rest of the world” you’ll read what AirPlay can do on an ordinary smart TV, what to do with a Chromecast, when an HDMI cable is simply the best choice and why things go wrong so often in meeting rooms.

AirPlay is built into more TVs than you think

AirPlay is Apple’s way of sending picture and sound wirelessly to another device. Since 2019 AirPlay 2 has also been built into smart TVs from other brands, so you don’t need an extra box.

• Samsung and LG: nearly all smart TVs from the 2018 and 2019 model years onwards.
• Sony: Bravia models with Google TV have had AirPlay since 2021.
• Philips: all new 2026 models run Titan OS instead of Google TV. Titan OS has AirPlay 2 and, since June 2026, the Apple TV app, but no Google Cast (yet).
• TCL and Hisense: some models have AirPlay, far from all.

Google TV itself doesn’t have AirPlay; the TV maker adds it. So a TV running Google TV may or may not have AirPlay. The Google TV Streamer and older Chromecasts don’t. Always check the full model number and the ‘Works with Apple AirPlay’ badge with the manufacturer. Apple keeps a list on its AirPlay page, and retailers like Coolblue let you filter TVs on AirPlay.

Streaming or mirroring: not the same thing

Streaming video. You tap the AirPlay button in an app (the rectangle with a small triangle under it) and choose your TV. Your iPhone only tells the TV what to play, and the TV fetches the video from the internet itself. That gives the best quality and leaves you free to do something else on your phone.

Screen Mirroring. You open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring (the icon with two rectangles) and choose your TV. Everything on your screen appears on the TV, notifications included. That costs battery and adds noticeable delay. Fine for photos or a website, not for games. Apple doesn’t publish latency figures, and it varies per TV and Wi-Fi network.

On a Mac you choose the TV under Screen Mirroring in Control Center. You can mirror your screen or use the TV as a separate extra display. Handy for presentations: slides on the TV, notes on your MacBook.

Note: Netflix doesn’t support AirPlay, and hasn’t since 2019. Mirror it anyway and you’ll usually get a black screen. Other protected services can do the same. Use the app on the TV itself instead.

Chromecast and Google TV

AirPlay doesn’t work on a Chromecast, Google TV Streamer or a TV with only Google Cast. From a Mac you use Google Chrome: in the three-dot menu choose Cast, save and share, then Cast. You can cast a tab or your whole screen. On macOS 15 and later Chrome first needs screen recording permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security. The picture is often less smooth than with AirPlay. Safari can’t cast.

From an iPhone it only works in apps with their own Cast button, such as YouTube and Spotify. iOS can’t mirror your iPhone screen to a Chromecast. Apps that promise to do so come with plenty of lag and often a subscription. Netflix stopped casting to Chromecasts with a remote, including the Google TV Streamer, at the end of 2024.

A cable is still the most reliable

An HDMI cable always works: no network, no code, no lag.

• MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Mac Studio have an HDMI port.
• MacBook Air and MacBook Neo need a USB-C to HDMI adapter. On the Neo only the USB 3 port carries video.
• iPhone with USB-C (iPhone 15 and later) works with a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Check entry-level models before you buy anything.
• iPhone with Lightning needs Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter. Cheap knock-offs often fail with streaming apps.

Streaming services require HDCP, a form of copy protection. An adapter from Apple, Belkin or another known brand handles it, a DisplayLink dock doesn’t. Black picture in the Apple TV app or Safari while everything else works? HDCP is almost always the cause.

Miracast doesn’t work on a Mac

When a TV or projector mentions ‘screen mirroring’ or ‘Smart View’, the maker often means Miracast, the technology used by Windows and Android. A Mac and an iPhone can’t do it, and there’s no official way to add it. If a device only has Miracast, you’ll need a cable.

In the meeting room

• Barco ClickShare: nearly all current models, such as the C, CX and CB series, support AirPlay from iOS and macOS, as long as the administrator left it switched on. Otherwise use the ClickShare Button or the ClickShare app.
• Microsoft Teams Rooms: from a Mac, choose Cast in the Teams app and select the room. Teams needs screen recording permission for this. Teams Rooms systems from Cisco have also supported AirPlay since 2025. The Miracast support Microsoft added in 2026 won’t help you on a Mac.
• If the room doesn’t appear in your list, ask IT whether AirPlay is allowed on the network. Often the guest network is separate from the network the screen is on.

Your Mac as an AirPlay receiver

It also works the other way round: your Mac as the screen for your iPhone. This is called AirPlay to Mac and works on Macs from 2018 onwards (Mac mini from 2020). Turn it on in System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff, under AirPlay Receiver. With ‘Allow AirPlay for’ you choose who can connect: only you, anyone on the same network or everyone.

Audio only, to speakers

Sonos, Bose, Bluesound, Denon and Marantz with HEOS, Bang & Olufsen and many other brands make speakers with AirPlay 2. You pick them with the AirPlay button in Music, Spotify or Control Center, several at once if you like. Unlike Bluetooth, the audio goes over Wi-Fi, so the music keeps playing when you leave the room.

When it doesn’t work

• Same network. Your iPhone or Mac and the TV must be on the same network. A guest network is a different network.
• Client isolation. In hotels, offices and on some routers, devices on the Wi-Fi can’t see each other. The TV will then never appear in your list. Use a cable.
• Code. The first time you connect, the TV shows a code to type in. On Samsung you set under Settings > Connection > Apple AirPlay Settings whether that’s needed every time or only the first time. You can also reset paired devices there.
• AirPlay is switched off. On LG it’s under AirPlay and HomeKit in the Home Dashboard, on Samsung under Apple AirPlay Settings.
• VPN. A VPN on your Mac or iPhone can block AirPlay. Turn it off for a moment.
• Updates. Update your iPhone, Mac and the TV. Many AirPlay problems disappear with a firmware update.

What fits your situation

Step-by-step plan

1. Find out whether your TV has AirPlay, Google Cast or only Miracast.
2. Put your iPhone or Mac and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network, not the guest network.
3. Turn on AirPlay on the TV if needed.
4. For video use the AirPlay button in the app, for your whole screen use Screen Mirroring. Enter the code the TV shows.
5. No AirPlay but a Chromecast? Use the Cast button in apps or casting in Chrome.
6. If wireless doesn’t work or is too slow, grab an HDMI cable with the right adapter.

And with Apple?

With an Apple TV most of the snags disappear. AirPlay is most reliable there, peer-to-peer AirPlay even lets you connect without sharing a Wi-Fi network, and all streaming apps sit in one box that gets updates for years.

Today Apple announced a new Apple TV 4K with the A19 chip. It goes on sale on 13 November 2026 and costs around €349 in Europe. For AirPlay little changes: the previous model handles it just fine. If your TV already has AirPlay 2 and you mostly use the apps on the TV, you don’t need one. If your TV lacks AirPlay, or it’s an older smart TV with slow apps and no more updates, an Apple TV is the most complete solution. Do keep an eye out for the previous model going on sale.

This whitepaper describes the situation in October 2026, with macOS Golden Gate (macOS 27) and iOS 27. Which TVs support AirPlay or Google Cast varies by brand, model and model year. Always check the full model number with the manufacturer or on Apple’s AirPlay page before you buy anything.

This article is part of the Mac and the rest of the world series, where you’ll find every part in one place.