Airplay mirroring how does it work

When you are ready to stop mirroring from your iPhone, pull down from the top of the screen to reopen Control Center, click AirPlay , and select Stop Mirroring. Screen mirroring from a Mac is a little different. Select Displays. At the bottom of the screen, select Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available , which places a shortcut icon on the menu bar for future use.

Type the code that is displayed on the TV or projector you are using into the field provided. The AirPlay Code is required only the first time you mirror to a specific device unless you change the settings to require it every time. After that, you can turn AirPlay on and off from the menu bar icon. When you are ready to stop screen mirroring, click the AirPlay icon on the menu bar. It looks like a TV screen with an arrow pointing up into it.

Click Turn AirPlay Off in the drop-down menu. With AirPlay, users stream music , video, and photos from their iTunes library or iOS device to compatible, Wi-Fi-connected computers, speakers, and stereo components. Not all components are compatible, but many manufacturers include AirPlay support as a feature for their products. All devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network to use AirPlay. You can't, for example, stream music to your house from your iPhone at work. While there used to be no official AirPlay feature for Windows , things have changed.

AirPlay is built into Windows versions of iTunes. This version of AirPlay isn't as full-featured as the one on the Mac. It lacks mirroring capabilities, and only some types of media can be streamed. AirPlay also supports wireless printing from iOS devices to Wi-Fi-connected printers that support the technology.

The name for this feature is AirPrint , and most current printers support the technology. The Google Chromecast is a user-friendly media streaming device that allows screen-casting of content on your TV screens. If you want to mirror your device to Chromecast to share your entire screen onto your TV instead of just being limited to photos, videos, and some apps, you will need to download a third-party mobile app.

One of the best apps you can go for is Streamer for Chromecast. The app not only has a built-in screen sharing feature but also a host of other cool options. Follow these steps to beam your screen on your Chromecast-enabled TV:. Like the Chromecast, Roku is also a similar media player that connects to your TV and opens a whole new world of streaming possibilities. Roku devices can be purchased as external stand-alone devices that you can connect to your TV.

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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Cybersecurity Mobile Policy Privacy Scooters. Phones Laptops Headphones Cameras. Tablets Smartwatches Speakers Drones. Accessories Buying Guides How-tos Deals. An internet connection is not required. Since connections are point-to-point and remain on the local network, screen data never crosses the internet. Both devices are generally located in the same room for viewing purposes.

There are some exceptions where the devices are not required to be a part of the same network. More information on that can be found below. Screen mirroring is not media streaming. Media streaming is the continuous playback of an audio or video file. Many people stream media on a daily basis. Ever hear of Netflix or YouTube? But media streaming can also be as simple as sending an audio or video file on your computer to play on an external receiver, such as an Apple TV.

Streaming is great if you just need to send an audio or video file to the big screen. Screen mirroring is better for presenting and collaborating. Some people interpret screen mirroring in a broader sense to include physical connections, such as HDMI, VGA and various other cables and dongles.

Those methods are becoming mostly obsolete as the world transitions to wireless tech. For the purposes of this article, screen mirroring is an entirely wireless act. Screen mirroring requires two components: a screen-sending device and a screen-receiving device. The screen-sending device utilizes a screen mirroring protocol. There are a number of screen mirroring protocols. Screen mirroring also requires a receiver.

The receiver is the destination for the content you are trying to display. There are hardware receivers, such as Apple TV, Chromecast and many others.

There are also software applications like Reflector that turn existing devices — such as a Mac or Windows computer — into robust receivers. Screen mirroring connections can be established in a number of ways depending on the devices that are trying to connect. Devices are equipped with various types of native screen mirroring technology such as AirPlay and Google Cast and therefore do not always share the same compatibility.