13 Quick Tips to Fix Screen Mirroring Not Working on iPhone

The screen mirroring feature is ideal to share the iPhone screen, videos, photos, games, and other content to a large resolution screen like TV and PC. It can sometimes be annoying because it isn't error-free and some users complained that iPhone screen mirroring is not working as expected.

Are you having the same trouble to mirror your iPhone screen to a TV or PC? Don’t worry. In this article, we will explain why is screen mirroring not working on iPhone and what you can do to get rid of this issue. Keep reading!

Part 1. Why Is iPhone Screen Mirroring Not Working?

Not every device or iPhone works flawlessly. New technology is frequently picky and requires some diagnostics to work correctly. A few of the common issues that may cause your iPhone screen to stop mirroring:

• Software or incompatibility: Your iPhone and smart TV may stop mirroring if the software is outdated and cause incompatibility issues between the devices.
• Connectivity issues: The target screen cannot  mirror due to poor Wi-Fi connection or physical distance. Bluetooth may interfere with your attempted signal. Also, insufficient bandwidth may result in poor video quality.
• Multiple devices: There’s an alternative to screen mirroring numerous devices simultaneously, but this can lead to an issue.
• Screen setup: iPhone screen mirroring not working may be a result of incorrect screen setup. Always ensure the screen is on and the configuration is accurate.

Part 2. How to Fix Screen Mirroring Not Working on iPhone

Remove Physical Obstacles

If there are physical objects between your iPhone and TV, then the screen mirror may fail to work because it uses wireless technologies which could be interrupted by the objects.

Therefore, remove these objects first and then connect iPhone to the TV again.

Turn on Screen Mirroring Feature

Is the Screen Mirroring feature disabled on your iPhone? If so, this is probably what’s causing screen mirroring fail to work.  You should follow these steps to enable the feature on your phone.

• Access the control center – simply swipe down on your iPhone screen from the top part.
• Go to the Screen Mirroring/AirPlay Mirroring icon and tap on it. Go through the list and then select the specific device you wish to mirror your iPhone on.

Once you select the device, your iPhone screen will appear on your TV right away. If it doesn’t, try the next solution.

Disable Screen Time

The privacy feature on iPhone could also be the reason behind the “screen mirroring not working” problem you’re facing.  You can fix this by disabling the Screen Time feature because it monitors all your iPhone’s activities and doesn’t allow you to share the screen. To do that:

• Get your phone and open Settings. Select the Screen Time option.
• Go to the Turn Off Screen Time option and select it to disable Screen Time.

Now try sharing your iPhone screen again to see if it will work.

Turn Off Bluetooth

Another way you can fix screen mirroring not working problem is by turning off the Bluetooth feature on your iPhone. Follow these steps:

• Open the control center – swipe down on your iPhone screen starting from the top. Find the Bluetooth icon and long-press it.
• Go to the Bluetooth Settings screen and toggle off the switch next to Bluetooth to disable it.

Once Bluetooth is turned off, check if the screen mirroring feature now works. If it doesn’t, try turning on and off Bluetooth several times to see if it will solve the problem.

Pair Your iPhone with TV

There are smart televisions that can’t accept the screen mirroring function if you’ve not paired your iPhone with TV - this step is necessary to ensure that only the authorized user is able to perform the task.  

So, check the TV manual to pair your iPhone with the TV. After that, try mirroring the iPhone screen and it should work successfully.

Check for AirPlay Devices Compatibility

If your iPhone screen doesn't mirror to a TV or PC, the first step to troubleshoot is to check the device’s compatibility. Check if your TV is AirPlay 2-compaitble and the devices are turned on and close to each other. Click here to learn more about which devices support AirPlay 2 and AirPlay on Apple’s official website.

To quickly check whether your iPhone has AirPlay:

• Swipe down from the right-corner of your Home screen to access the Control Center. If you are using an older iPhone with the home button, swipe from bottom to top.
• If the Screen Mirroring option appears, then your iPhone is compatible to the Airplay.

Check AirPlay Settings on Apple TV

The AirPlay settings on Apple TV could also prevent you from mirroring iPhone screen to the TV or your HomePod.

• Open Settings on your Apple TV.
• Go to AirPlay and HomeKit tab.
• Select Everyone under the Allow Access option.

Check Wi-Fi Network

Sometimes, the network settings may cause issues with screen mirroring on iPhone. To screen mirror your iPhone to a TV or PC, you should connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network. You can try to turn off Wi-Fi and then turn it back on to fix the screen mirroring issue.

Also, you can reboot your Wi-Fi modem/router and see if that helps. This quick-fix has been known for solving a wide range of network problems. When your router is operational, check if screen mirroring is functioning. If not, it's time to proceed to the subsequent stage.

Restart Your iPhone and TV

When the screen mirroring fails to work, the next way to try is to restart your iPhone and TV. To quickly restart your iPhone, navigate to Settings > General and tap on “Shut Down”.

The simplest way to restart the TV is unplugging it from the power source, wait for a moment and then plug it back in. Allow the TV a couple of minutes to start up before attempting to mirror your iPhone again.

Screen Mirroring One Device at A Time

As mentioned above, you have choice to mirror multiple devices at a time, however, this can cause conflicts. If your TV detects that you are attempting to connect multiple devices, it may reject the connection, resulting in the screen mirroring stops working problem.

Update iOS and TV System

Keeping your TV and iPhone up to date is critical for flawless screen mirroring. If the screen mirroring isn't working on your iPhone, ensure you have the latest updates installed.

• Go to Settings > General on your iPhone.
• Then tap “Software Update” to check if there are new iOS update available.
• If yes, go ahead and install the new update on your iPhone.

You can update your Apple TV or smart TV by going to the System or Support and checking to see if you are running the most recent system. Once you have the latest updates installed on both devices, try screen mirroring again.

Check AirPlay Settings (Apple TV)

Troublesome settings may also result in the screen mirroring not functioning on the iPhone issue. Therefore, if none of the aforementioned solutions helped you resolve the problem, this method might be handy in a pinch.

Follow the below steps to check and correct the AirPlay settings on your Apple TV:

• Open the Settings app on your Apple TV.
• Choose “AirPlay and HomeKit”.
• Tap “Allow Access” and select “Everyone”.

Part 3. How to Mirror Your iPhone to a TV?

Via Apple TV

You can cast your iPhone or iPad screen to a smart TV using AirPlay. Before screen mirroring, check with the manufacturer of your TV to see if it is AirPlay 2-compatible. Then follow the steps below to mirror your iPhone.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone, Apple TV or Airplay 2-compatible smart TV to the same Wi-Fi network and make sure they are powered on.

Step 2: On your iPhone or iPad, launch the Control Center:

• Swipe down from the top-right edge of the display on iPhone X or later versions.
• Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen on iPhone 8 or earlier versions.

Step 3: Click on “Screen Mirroring”. Then choose your Airplay 2-compatible smart TV, Apple TV, or Mac from the list that pops up.

Step 4: If an Airplay confirmation code appears on your TV or Mac, enter it on your iPhone.

To stop the screen mirroring, just go to the Control Center and click on “Screen Mirroring”, then tap “Stop Mirroring”. Alternatively, you can use the MENU icon on your Apple TV Remote.

Using MirrorTo

FoneGeek Mirror Tool is developed by FoneGeek Company and it is among the most reliable tools for casting a phone on a Mac/PC easily. It uses an intuitive and straightforward process to connect and mirror your device so that you can have a great visual experience in HD quality.

Main Features of FoneGeek Mirror Tool:  

• Cast your iPhone to a Mac/PC easily. There’s no lagging and the image quality is great.
• It allows you to control your iPhone from your Mac/PC wirelessly using your mouse.
• You can run mobile apps like Snapchat on a Mac/PC and view them on a large screen.
• It allows you to live stream your iPhone screen to conferencing platforms such as Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and so on.

How to use FoneGeek Mirror Tool to mirror iPhone on your Mac/PC

• Connect your iPhone and PC to your Wi-Fi network – same Wi-Fi network.
• Install this program on your PC. Open the program and select the “iOS” option.

• Select the Wi-Fi option and then click on Allow access on the dialog box that pops up on your iPhone.
• Now go to this program and choose the “iOS screen casting” option.  On your iPhone, open Control Center and select Screen Mirroring. Next, select FoneGeek Mirror Tool to start.

• From there, go to your iPhone Settings and pair Bluetooth with PC.

That’s it! FoneGeek Mirror Tool will immediately cast your iPhone screen on your PC. You can now start to control your iPhone from PC.

Part 4. FAQs about Screen Mirroring

Q1. Why am I not seeing the Screen Mirroring icon in Control Center?

The Screen Mirroring icon might not be showing in Control Center because it’s hidden. Make sure that your iPhone and the device that you wish to mirror to are both compatible with AirPlay and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Q2. Why is Screen Mirroring disconnecting frequently?

The screen mirroring is disconnecting frequently probably because there’s network interference or the signal strength is low. Place iPhone and the device you wish to mirror closer to your Wi-Fi router.

Q3. Why is Screen Mirroring failing to work on my Samsung TV?

It could be due to any of the following reasons:

• Disabled Screen Mirroring Feature – Ensure you’ve activated Screen Mirroring on your Samsung TV.
• Requires Smart View/AllShare Cast App – Some Samsung TVs only work with specific apps for screen mirroring like “Allshare Cast” or “Smart View”. So, check which app your TV needs for the Screen Mirroring function to work.
• Pending Software Updates – Your device’s (smartphone or tablet) and Samsung TV’s firmware should have the latest software updates. By installing software updates, you can get bug fixes and also improvements that can help fix the screen mirroring issues.  
• Restart the Devices – If there are any temporary glitches causing screen mirroring not to work, restarting both your device and the Samsung TV can clear them out.

The Bottom Line

This simple guide should have given you all the necessary information to resolve screen mirroring not working issue on your iPhone. Hope you can mirror your iPhone screen to Apple TV, smart TV or computer without any errors. If you’ve followed all these solutions and are still having problems, you should consider contacting Apple Support for help.