How to Get an iPad or iPhone Onto a Google TV or Chromecast
A Chromecast or Google TV plays the video an app on your iPhone or iPad sends it, but it can't show your whole screen: Google describes casting a whole screen as an Android feature. To get your whole screen on the TV, you need AirPlay, which some Google TV sets from Sony and TCL have built in, a USB-C to HDMI cable, or an Apple TV on another input. This guide shows which one fits your setup, the steps for each, and what to do when the TV doesn't show up.
The quick answer
- To play a video: tap Cast in an app that has it, such as YouTube, and choose your TV. It's free, and it's what Chromecast and Google TV are built for.
- To show your whole screen: not over Google Cast. Screen Mirroring on an iPhone or iPad only sends to AirPlay devices, and a Chromecast or Google TV Streamer isn't one.
- Sony, and some TCL TVs: some TVs that run Google TV also have AirPlay 2 built in. Sony says all of its Google TV models do, and TCL lists it on some. On those, Screen Mirroring works as it does with an Apple TV.
- Any TV with a free HDMI port: a USB-C to HDMI cable shows your screen with no Wi-Fi involved. Or plug an Apple TV into another HDMI input to add AirPlay.
What works with which Google TV
Checked against Google's, Apple's and the TV makers' own pages · October 2026| What you have | Cast from apps | Mirror your whole screen, wirelessly | USB-C to HDMI cable | ScreenCommand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Chromecast or Google TV Streamer plugged into the TV | ✓From apps with a Cast button | ✗No AirPlay, and screen casting is Android-only | ✓Into a free HDMI port on the TV | ✓Over a cable into the TV |
| A TV with Google TV and AirPlay 2 built in (Sony, some TCL) | ✓ | ✓Choose the TV in Screen Mirroring | ✓ | ✓Over a cable; not verified over the TV's AirPlay |
| A TV with Google TV and no AirPlay | ✓ | ✗Unless you add an Apple TV | ✓ | ✓Over a cable |
| Any of these, with an Apple TV on another HDMI input | ✓ | ✓Choose the Apple TV | ✓ | ✓Over a cable or AirPlay to the Apple TV |
Casting needs an app with a Cast button, and the TV then plays that app's video, not your screen. The cable column assumes a USB-C iPad, or an iPhone with USB-C video out, and a free HDMI port on the TV. ScreenCommand is supported over a cable and over AirPlay to an Apple TV; we haven't verified it with AirPlay built into Google TV sets, so the table doesn't claim it.
Which kind of Google TV do you have?
Google TV is the name of Google's TV software, and it comes in two kinds of hardware. Which kind you have decides whether AirPlay is an option.
- A Chromecast or a Google TV Streamer: a small device plugged into one of the TV's HDMI ports. The Chromecast with Google TV and the Google TV Streamer come with a remote; older Chromecasts have none and are run from your phone. Google's spec pages for them don't list AirPlay, and Google describes using them with a phone as casting from compatible apps.
- A TV with Google TV built in: the TV's own home screen is Google TV, with no extra device plugged in. Sony, TCL, Sharp and other brands make these. Whether it has AirPlay depends on the brand and the model.
- A Chromecast plugged into a TV that has AirPlay of its own, such as selected Samsung and LG models: leave the Chromecast alone and mirror to the TV itself. Which smart TVs have AirPlay, and how to check.
What the TV makers say about AirPlay on their Google TV sets, as of October 2026:
- Sony: every BRAVIA with Google TV supports AirPlay 2, a few series after a software update.
- TCL: lists AirPlay 2 next to Google Cast on some Google TV models, the Q7D for example, and notes that features vary by region.
- Sharp: the Sharp Google TV models we checked on Sharp Indonesia's site list Chromecast under Mirroring / Casting, not AirPlay.
- Any other brand: look for AirPlay or AirPlay 2 on your exact model's spec sheet, or for an AirPlay menu in the TV's settings. Google Cast, Chromecast built-in and Miracast are different systems: an iPhone or iPad's Screen Mirroring only sends to AirPlay devices.
Why your iPhone can't mirror to a Chromecast
Screen Mirroring in Control Center sends to AirPlay receivers: an Apple TV, an AirPlay smart TV or a Mac. A Chromecast or Google TV Streamer receives Google Cast instead, so it never appears in that list. Google's own way to cast a whole screen, from the Google Home app, is for Android devices running Android 8.0 or later.
The App Store has third-party apps that mirror an iPhone or iPad to a Chromecast by capturing the screen and streaming it over Wi-Fi. Google doesn't make them, and we haven't tested them. Check the in-app prices before you start a trial, and don't count on streaming services: Netflix says it may not support some mirroring apps.
Route 1: cast from an app (free, best for watching)
This is what a Chromecast or Google TV is built for. An app with a Cast button, such as YouTube, hands the video to the TV, which then streams it itself. Your iPhone or iPad works as the remote.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromecast or Google TV.
- Open an app that supports Google Cast, such as YouTube, and go to what you want to watch.
- Tap the Cast button in the app and choose your TV. The video plays there.
- To stop, tap Cast again, then Disconnect.
The first time you tap Cast, iOS asks whether the app may find devices on your local network. Allow it: Google says you can't cast if you don't. To fix it later, open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn it on for that app.
Casting sends the app's video, not your screen, and only apps with a Cast button can do it. Safari has none, YouTube says you can't cast from youtube.com in a mobile browser, and Google describes casting a Chrome tab as something you do from a computer.
Casting YouTube, and linking with a TV code when you're not on the same Wi-Fi: YouTube on a TV from an iPad or iPhone.
Route 2: Screen Mirroring, if the TV has AirPlay
On a Google TV set with AirPlay 2 built in, such as a Sony BRAVIA, an iPhone or iPad mirrors the same way it would to an Apple TV.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- Open Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen, or up from the bottom on an iPhone SE.
- Tap Screen Mirroring and choose the TV.
- If an AirPlay code appears on the TV, type it on your iPhone or iPad. Your screen now shows on the TV.
To stop, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, then tap Stop Mirroring.
The TV shows an exact copy of your screen in your device's shape: black bars on both sides of an iPad's picture, and a narrow strip in the middle for an iPhone held upright. Copy-protected video, such as Netflix, goes black over AirPlay mirroring.
The TV never appears in the list? Then it has no AirPlay, AirPlay is turned off in its settings, or the two are on different networks. How to check whether a smart TV has AirPlay.
Route 3: a USB-C to HDMI cable into the TV
A cable works on any TV with a free HDMI port, Google TV or not, and needs no Wi-Fi. It goes into the TV itself: the Chromecast or Google TV Streamer stays on its own input.
- Plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into your iPad or iPhone, or use a cable with USB-C on one end and HDMI on the other.
- Run an HDMI cable to a free HDMI port on the TV. If the Chromecast is in the only free port, unplug it for now.
- Switch the TV to that HDMI input with the Input or Source button on its remote.
- Your screen appears on the TV. If the adapter has a USB-C charging port, plug your charger into it to keep the battery topped up.
Every iPad with USB-C can send video this way. On iPhone it needs USB-C video out: iPhone 15 or later, except the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air. A Lightning iPad or iPhone needs Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter instead, which tops out at 1080p.
The TV still shows a copy of your screen, except in apps that draw their own picture for the TV, like some video apps. Unlike AirPlay mirroring, a cable carries copy-protected video too, as long as nothing in between, such as a splitter or an uncertified adapter, breaks the HDCP handshake.
Which adapter to buy, and 4K at 60Hz or 30Hz by model: which USB-C to HDMI adapter for iPad.
Route 4: an Apple TV on another HDMI input
No AirPlay on your Google TV, and no cable that reaches the couch? Plug an Apple TV into a free HDMI port. It adds AirPlay to that TV: switch to its input, and Screen Mirroring and the AirPlay button in video apps work as on any Apple TV. The Google TV stays on its own input for everything else.
Apple TV has no web browser of its own. Here's how to put one on it with your iPad or iPhone.
Where ScreenCommand fits
Chromecast and Google TV are built to play apps. ScreenCommand puts the web on the TV instead: a full-screen desktop browser at the TV's own resolution, edge to edge with no black bars, while your iPad or iPhone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. It works on iPads that can only mirror, and on iPhone too.
- Over a cable into any Google TV set, Sony, TCL or any other make, or into the TV your Chromecast is plugged into. A cable is the recommended connection, with the lowest cursor lag.
- Or AirPlay to an Apple TV on another input, with a little more cursor lag than a cable.
- Not through a Chromecast: ScreenCommand doesn't use Google Cast, so it can't send to a Chromecast or Google TV Streamer.
- Streaming over a cable only: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock play in ScreenCommand over a USB-C cable. YouTube and other web video play over a cable or AirPlay.
- Websites, not apps: ScreenCommand shows web pages. To just play a YouTube video or a show, casting or the TV's own apps are free and simpler.
- $4.99 one-time: no subscription, no account to create, zero data collection.
Not promised: AirPlay on Sony and TCL Google TV sets
We haven't verified ScreenCommand with the AirPlay built into Google TV sets, so we don't claim it works there. Plug into the TV's HDMI port with a cable, or use an Apple TV.
It needs an iPad with USB-C on iPadOS 17 or later, or an iPhone on iOS 17 or later. From an iPhone, a cable needs USB-C video out: iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.
Troubleshooting
- The TV isn't in the Cast list. Put your iPhone or iPad on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. Then check that the app may find devices on your network: in Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn it on for the app. For YouTube, open the YouTube app on the TV too.
- You're on a guest, hotel or public network. Google says you can't cast on a guest, hotel or public network that keeps devices apart, a setting called AP or client isolation. A Wi-Fi extender can do the same. Move both to your main network, turn client isolation off if the router is yours, or use a cable.
- There's no Cast button. The app doesn't support Google Cast on iPhone or iPad, or you're on a website in Safari, which has no Cast button. Use AirPlay if the TV has it, or a cable.
- The TV isn't in Screen Mirroring. A Chromecast or Google TV Streamer never will be: it isn't an AirPlay device. A Google TV set appears only if it has AirPlay 2, it's turned on, and it's on the same network.
- The TV says “No signal” over a cable. Switch to the HDMI input the iPad or iPhone is plugged into, not the Chromecast's. Make sure the adapter is made for video output (DisplayPort Alt Mode), not just data and charging, and that your iPhone has USB-C video out.
- The video goes black but the sound plays. That's copy protection: AirPlay mirroring doesn't carry Netflix, Prime Video and other protected streams. Use the service's own app on the Google TV, or a cable.
Why streaming goes black, and what plays where: the Netflix black screen, explained.
Frequently asked questions
Can I screen mirror my iPhone to a Chromecast?
Not with the built-in tools. An iPhone's Screen Mirroring only sends to AirPlay devices, and Google describes casting a whole screen as an Android feature. From an iPhone you can cast from apps with a Cast button, such as YouTube. To show your whole screen on the TV, use a USB-C to HDMI cable (iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air), AirPlay if the TV has it built in, or an Apple TV. Third-party mirroring apps on the App Store also offer it; Google doesn't make them.
How do I cast my iPhone or iPad to a Google TV?
Put both on the same Wi-Fi network, open an app with a Cast button, such as YouTube, tap Cast and choose the TV. That sends the app's video, not your screen. To show your whole screen, use Screen Mirroring in Control Center if the TV has AirPlay 2 built in, as Sony's Google TV models do, or plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into a free HDMI port on the TV. A cable works on any TV and needs no Wi-Fi; on iPhone it needs iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.
Does Google TV support AirPlay?
It depends on the hardware. Google's own Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV Streamer don't list AirPlay in their specs. Some TVs that run Google TV do have AirPlay 2 built in: Sony says all of its Google TV models support it, and TCL lists it on some models, such as the Q7D. Check your model's spec sheet, or look for an AirPlay menu in the TV's settings.
Why doesn't my Chromecast show up on my iPhone?
Usually one of three things. The iPhone and the Chromecast must be on the same Wi-Fi network. On iOS 14 and later, the app needs Local Network permission: in Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Local Network, and turn it on for the app. And casting doesn't work on guest, hotel or public networks that keep devices apart. If you're looking in Screen Mirroring, a Chromecast never appears there, because it isn't an AirPlay device.
Can I cast Safari or a website from my iPhone to a Chromecast?
No. Casting works from apps with a Cast button, and Safari has none. YouTube says you can't cast from youtube.com in a mobile browser, and Google describes casting a Chrome tab as something you do from a computer. To put a website on a Google TV, mirror with AirPlay if the TV has it, or connect a cable. ScreenCommand puts a full-screen desktop browser on the TV over a cable, with your iPhone or iPad as the trackpad.
How do I watch Netflix from my iPhone on a Google TV?
The simplest way is the Netflix app on the Google TV itself. AirPlay mirroring doesn't carry copy-protected video, so Netflix shows a black picture that way, even on a TV with AirPlay. Over a USB-C cable, Netflix plays on the TV in ScreenCommand, and in the Netflix app.
More product questions (pricing, gestures, privacy) are covered in the main FAQ.