iPad or iPhone Not Connecting to a Monitor or TV? Fixes by Symptom

The TV says “No signal” or “No input”

The TV is on, but nothing reaches the input it's watching. Work down the list and look at the TV after each step.

1. Pick the exact input. Switch the TV or monitor to the port you plugged into with its remote or input button: HDMI 2 is not HDMI 1, and a USB-C monitor may call its input USB-C, DP or Type-C.
2. Give it 10 seconds. Apple says video through its USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter should appear within 10 seconds of connecting.
3. Reconnect in Apple's order. Unplug the adapter from the iPad or iPhone, connect the HDMI cable and the charger (if you use one) to the adapter, then plug the adapter into the device last.
4. Power-cycle the display. If it still shows nothing, Apple suggests unplugging the display from its power source and plugging it back in.
5. Plug straight into the TV. Remove HDMI extension cables, switch boxes and converters. Apple says converters to DVI, composite or component aren't compatible.
6. Try another HDMI cable and another HDMI port. Apple notes that the problem can be the cable itself.
7. Connecting a USB-C monitor directly? The cable has to carry video and the monitor's USB-C port has to accept it. Charge-only cables look identical: here's how to tell which cables carry video.
8. Restart and update. Restart the iPad or iPhone with nothing plugged in, install the latest iPadOS or iOS, then connect again.

Still nothing? The No Signal checklist in the connection guide goes further into monitor ports and finding the faulty part.

Nothing happens on the device or the TV

There's no setting to turn on: with a working cable, a USB-C iPad or iPhone puts its picture on the display by itself. If nothing changes at all, the device probably isn't sending video down that cable.

1. Check that your model sends video. The iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air send none over USB-C, and Lightning models need Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter. See the list at the top of this guide.
2. Check that the adapter is a video adapter. The box should say HDMI or DisplayPort output. A USB-C hub made for storage, charging or Ethernet may carry no video at all.
3. Swap one part at a time. Try the adapter and cable with a laptop or another iPad, or a different adapter with your device, to find out which piece is at fault.
4. Run the No signal checks too. The TV's input, reconnecting in Apple's order, another cable and a restart are all in the section above.

Black screen, but you can hear the sound

If everything shows until a film or show starts, and then the video goes black while the sound carries on, that's copy protection, not a broken connection.

1. Mirroring over AirPlay? Screen Mirroring never carries the protected video of Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and similar services. Use the AirPlay button inside the service's app if it has one, the service's app on the TV, or a cable.
2. On a cable, check HDCP. Apple says movies, TV shows and certain streaming apps require HDCP, and a connection without it brings up an alert asking for an HDCP-compatible device. Use an adapter that states HDCP support, such as Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
3. Remove anything between the adapter and the TV, such as a splitter, a capture card or a converter, which can break the HDCP handshake.
4. Is the whole screen black, menus included? Then it isn't copy protection: go back to the No signal checks.

The opposite problem, a picture with no sound? Apple says VGA adapters carry no audio, so use an HDMI adapter, and check that the volume is up and not muted on both the device and the TV.

What plays over a cable and what plays over AirPlay, service by service: the Netflix black screen, explained.

The TV shows a copy of the iPad, not the app you wanted

Apple says a connected display shows one of three things: the same picture as the iPad, a second-screen view if the app has one (like a video app), or an extended display on supported iPads. An iPhone mirrors unless the app has a second-screen view.

1. A mirror is the default. Most apps just mirror. If an app shows no video on the TV at all, Apple says it might not be compatible with the adapter: check its App Store page or ask the developer.
2. In a video app, start playing. Apps with a second-screen view put the video on the TV once it plays.
3. M-series iPad? Turn on Stage Manager in Control Center or in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures: Apple says that's how M-series iPads move apps and windows to an external display. Then drag a window across with a pointer, or use the window controls and tap Move to Display.
4. Other iPads and every iPhone can't extend. They mirror, unless an app draws its own picture on the TV. See which iPads support extended display, model by model.
5. Wanted a website on the TV? A browser that draws its own picture fills the TV with the page instead of the mirror. That's what ScreenCommand does.

Black bars around the picture, or the edges cut off

Bars are usually about shape, not a fault.

1. Mirroring keeps the device's shape. An iPad's screen is squarer than a TV's, so its mirror leaves bars at the sides of a widescreen TV. An iPhone held upright mirrors as a tall, narrow strip: turn it sideways in apps that rotate.
2. Don't stretch it with the TV's zoom, which distorts the picture. To fill the screen, use an app that draws its own picture, like a video app or ScreenCommand, or extend from an M-series iPad.
3. Edges cut off? The TV is zooming in. In its picture size or aspect ratio settings, choose the option that shows the full picture; each brand names it differently.
4. On an Apple TV over AirPlay, open Settings > AirPlay and Apple Home > AirPlay Display Underscan. Apple says to turn it on if the picture looks cropped, and off if you see black bars around it.
5. Bars only around a film? Many films are shot wider than a TV, so those bars are part of the picture.

Flickering, blinking, or the picture drops out

A picture that comes and goes usually means the signal is only just making it from the device to the TV.

1. Push the adapter fully in and take the weight off it: a heavy HDMI cable hanging from the adapter can work it loose.
2. Use the right HDMI cable. For 4K at 60Hz it should be labeled Premium High Speed or Ultra High Speed; a High Speed cable is rated for 4K at 30Hz. Try another cable either way.
3. Remove extension cables, splitters and converters and plug the adapter straight into the TV.
4. Try another HDMI port on the TV. On some TVs, 4K at 60Hz only works on certain inputs or after turning on an enhanced HDMI setting: the TV's manual says which.
5. Blanks only when a video starts or stops? The device is switching the TV's mode to match the video, and many TVs go dark for a moment while they switch. To keep one mode, turn off Match Content in Settings > Display & Brightness, or select the connected display there and turn off Allow Display Mode Changes.
6. Over AirPlay, keep the device near the Apple TV and on the same Wi-Fi network, and restart both if it keeps stuttering.
7. Video stutters only while an accessory is plugged in? Apple says some USB-C accessories and cables can slow Wi-Fi and cellular connections on iPhone. Try a different cable or adapter.

Cables, HDMI versions and adapters in detail: which USB-C to HDMI adapter to buy.

Wrong or low resolution, or stuck at 30Hz

Every link in the chain has a ceiling, and the picture gets the lowest one.

1. Check your model's limit. Over HDMI, the iPad Air (4th generation), iPad mini (6th generation) and iPad (10th generation) top out at 4K and 30Hz. Other USB-C iPads, and iPhones with video over USB-C, send up to 4K at 60Hz. Lightning models get 1080p through Apple's adapter.
2. 1080p on the Home Screen can be normal. Apple says that with its USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, an iPad shows the Home Screen and apps at 1080p and 60Hz, then switches to match video, up to 4K at 60Hz, when Match Content is on in Settings > Display & Brightness.
3. Check the adapter. 4K at 60Hz needs one rated HDMI 2.0 or 4K 60Hz. Apple's older multiport adapter, model A1621, tops out at 4K and 30Hz whatever you plug into it; the current model, A2119, does 4K at 60Hz from the models that send it.
4. Check the HDMI cable: Premium High Speed or Ultra High Speed for 4K at 60Hz.
5. Check the TV's input. Some TVs only take 4K at 60Hz on certain HDMI ports, or with an enhanced HDMI setting turned on.
6. Soft, oversized text? A mirror is the iPad's own screen scaled up to the TV, so it can look soft even at 4K. An app that draws its own picture for the TV, such as ScreenCommand, uses the display's native resolution instead.

Which adapter and cable each model needs for 4K at 60Hz: the adapter guide's table.

It works, then goes black or disconnects

When the picture was fine at first, look at what changes over time: the screen lock, the battery, the plug and the TV's own timers.

1. Check Auto-Lock. If the TV goes black when the device locks, choose a longer time in Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Apple says many video apps keep the iPad from locking while they're in use, and an iPad connected to an external display may stay on longer than its Auto-Lock setting.
2. Charge through the adapter. An adapter without a charging port runs on the device's battery. Plug your usual charger into the adapter's USB-C charging port, connecting it before the adapter goes into the device.
3. Secure the connection. Reconnect the adapter at both ends, and keep a heavy cable from tugging on it.
4. Check the TV's timers. A screensaver, or the TV switching itself off while the device is still awake, comes from the TV: look in its power-saving or no-signal settings.
5. On AirPlay, keep both devices near each other and on the same Wi-Fi network, and restart them if the connection keeps dropping.
6. Update iPadOS or iOS, which Apple lists among its fixes for adapter problems.

Netflix going black or jumping back to the iPad when it locks or pauses: the Netflix guide covers it.

The Apple TV or smart TV isn't in the Screen Mirroring list

Screen Mirroring in Control Center lists only the AirPlay receivers your iPad or iPhone can find on the network.

1. Start with Apple's basics. Both devices on, near each other, updated to the latest software, and on the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Check that the TV has AirPlay. Apple names an Apple TV 4K or an AirPlay 2-enabled smart TV. A TV with only Chromecast or Google Cast never appears in the list: connect it with a cable instead.
3. Turn AirPlay on in the TV. On an Apple TV, open Settings > AirPlay and Apple Home: AirPlay must be on, and Allow Access sets who can connect (Everyone, Anyone on the Same Network, or Only People Sharing This Home). On a smart TV, look for AirPlay in its settings: where to find it, brand by brand.
4. Check the Home app. If the TV is set up in Home, Apple says to make sure Home Settings aren't restricting AirPlay: open Home, tap More, then Home Settings > Speakers & TV.
5. Using a VPN? Apple says to make sure its configuration doesn't prevent local networking.
6. Restart both devices and look again.
7. In a hotel? If the room's TV shows an AirPlay QR code, scan it with the Camera app and follow the steps. Apple says AirPlay in hotels is available in certain countries and regions.

Where ScreenCommand fits

ScreenCommand puts a full-screen desktop browser on the TV while your iPad or iPhone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. It uses the same cable or AirPlay connection as everything above, so it can't fix a connection that carries no picture: get the mirror working first, then open the app.

• What Works Here, on the app's connect screen and in its Settings, shows what your iPad or iPhone can connect with, whether the TV is connected right now by cable or over AirPlay, and what plays over each. If it says no display is connected, the app can't see the TV either: start with the first two symptoms above.
• Plug in with the app open and the browser appears on the TV by itself. Over AirPlay, start Screen Mirroring to the Apple TV in Control Center, then go back to ScreenCommand.
• On an M-series iPad set to extend, the app's connect screen asks you to switch the iPad to screen mirroring, so the browser can use the display.
• Streaming needs the cable. Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock play in ScreenCommand over a USB-C cable, not over AirPlay. YouTube and other web video play over either.
• Made for USB-C iPads on iPadOS 17 or later and iPhones on iOS 17 or later. The iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air connect over AirPlay to an Apple TV. Lightning iPads haven't been tested.
• $4.99 one-time: no subscription, zero data collection.