How to Screen Mirror an iPhone or iPad to a Vizio TV (AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI)

The quick answer

• Vizio smart TV from 2016 or later? Vizio's SmartCast TVs have AirPlay 2. Put the iPhone or iPad on the same Wi-Fi as the TV, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring and choose the TV. Type the code if the TV shows one.
• Chromecast built-in plays apps, not your screen. Tap Cast in an app like YouTube and the Vizio TV plays that video itself. An iPhone or iPad can't cast its whole screen: that's what AirPlay is for.
• Older Vizio, or no AirPlay? Use a USB-C to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable, then press INPUT on the Vizio remote and choose that HDMI port. No Wi-Fi or code needed.
• Netflix goes black when you mirror? That's copy protection. Use the Netflix app on the Vizio TV, cast from the Netflix app (it casts to select Vizio TVs), or connect with a cable.
• The VIZIO Mobile app won't mirror your screen. On an iPhone it's a remote and keyboard for the TV. Mirroring is AirPlay, built into the TV and the iPhone.

Every way to get an iPhone or iPad onto a Vizio TV

The cable rows need an iPad with USB-C, or an iPhone with video over USB-C (iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air); Lightning models need Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter. Netflix says casting is available on its Standard or Premium plans. ScreenCommand is supported over a cable and over AirPlay to an Apple TV; we haven't verified it with the AirPlay built into Vizio TVs, so the table doesn't claim it.

Does your Vizio TV have AirPlay?

Vizio brought AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to its SmartCast TVs in 2019, with a software update for new models and existing ones back to 2016. Vizio says the update went to eligible SmartCast TVs with SmartCast Home, its on-screen smart TV experience. Ways to check yours:

• Check the manual. Vizio's user manuals for its 2020 to 2024 TVs, up to the V4K 4K models, say you can stream from your device to the TV with Apple AirPlay 2 or Chromecast built-in.
• Press INPUT on the remote. In Vizio's 2022 manual, AirPlay is listed on the input menu next to SmartCast, WatchFree+ and the HDMI ports. Vizio notes that the inputs vary by TV.
• Older than 2016? Vizio's AirPlay update reached SmartCast TVs back to 2016, not earlier sets. Use a cable, or plug an Apple TV into a free HDMI port.
• Or just try it. With the TV on and both on the same Wi-Fi, open Screen Mirroring on the iPhone or iPad. If the TV isn't listed, work through the fixes below before giving up on it.

Another brand of TV? How to connect an iPad to a smart TV covers Samsung, LG, Sony, Roku TVs and more.

Get the Vizio TV ready for AirPlay

Vizio's menu names have changed over the years (SmartCast became VIZIO OS, and newer models open on All Settings), so here are the paths Vizio documents, older names included:

1. Connect the TV to Wi-Fi: press MENU on the remote, then Network, choose your Wi-Fi network and enter its password.
2. Update the TV: press MENU, then Admin & Privacy > Check for Updates (All Settings > Admin & Privacy > Check for Updates on newer models). On older models it's System > Check for Updates.
3. Put the iPhone or iPad on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. If the TV is on a guest network or a different router, move one of them.

Vizio's manuals don't describe an AirPlay on/off switch, and we couldn't confirm one menu path across models, so we don't give one. If you find an AirPlay setting on your TV, check that it's on.

Setting up a new Vizio? Vizio's product pages for its current models say a Walmart account is required for Smart TV functionality and product updates.

Screen mirror an iPhone or iPad to the Vizio TV

These are Apple's Screen Mirroring steps, the same on iPhone and iPad:

1. Turn the Vizio TV on, and connect the iPhone or iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
2. Open Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, such as iPhone SE, swipe up from the bottom edge.
3. Tap Screen Mirroring and choose your Vizio TV.
4. If an AirPlay code appears on the TV, type it on the iPhone or iPad. The screen now shows on the TV.

To stop, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, then tap Stop Mirroring.

An iPhone held upright mirrors as a narrow strip in the middle of the TV. Turn it sideways in apps that rotate, like Photos and video apps, to use more of the screen.

Mirroring travels over Wi-Fi with a little delay, and it keeps your device's shape. Why it can't fill the TV, and what can: screen mirroring vs ScreenCommand.

Mirroring the screen vs AirPlay from inside an app

Screen Mirroring sends a copy of everything: your Home Screen, notifications, whatever you type. The TV shows exactly what the iPhone or iPad shows, in its shape.

The AirPlay button inside an app sends just the video, photo or song. Tap AirPlay in a video player, or in Photos tap Share, then AirPlay, and choose the Vizio TV. Only that item goes to the TV, not the rest of your screen.

Apple notes that some video apps don't support AirPlay. Netflix is one of them: its help center says AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad isn't supported with Netflix.

Vizio TVs with AirPlay 2 work with HomeKit too. Add the TV to the Home app and you can turn it on or off, change the volume and switch inputs from your iPhone or iPad, or ask Siri.

Chromecast built-in on a Vizio TV: cast apps, not your screen

Vizio TVs also have Chromecast built-in, a different system from AirPlay. Vizio's page for it says to tap the Cast button in any compatible app on an Android or iOS phone or tablet:

1. Connect the iPhone or iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the Vizio TV.
2. Open an app with a Cast button, such as YouTube, and find what you want to watch.
3. Tap Cast and choose your Vizio TV. The TV plays the video itself, and your iPhone or iPad becomes the remote.
4. The first time, iOS asks whether the app may find devices on your local network. Allow it: Google says you can't cast without it. To change it later, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.

What casting can't do from an iPhone or iPad is show your whole screen: Google describes casting a whole screen as a feature for Android 8.0 or later, and the only mirroring on Vizio's Chromecast page is from a laptop, through the Chrome browser. For your whole screen, use AirPlay or a cable.

Netflix casts to some Vizio TVs. Netflix's help center lists select cast-enabled Vizio TVs among the few devices its app casts to. In the Netflix app, tap the Cast icon in the upper-right corner and choose the TV. Netflix says casting is available on its Standard or Premium plans.

Vizio notes that not all Google Cast apps are integrated with its TVs, and some may need extra steps. If an app's Cast list doesn't show the TV, open the same app on the Vizio instead.

What the VIZIO Mobile app does on an iPhone

Vizio's app is in the App Store as VIZIO Remote (Official), from VIZIO, Inc., and calls itself VIZIO Mobile (SmartCast Mobile in older manuals). What Vizio says it does:

• A remote and keyboard. Turn the TV on and off, play and pause, change settings and switch inputs, and type on the TV with your phone's full keyboard. It takes voice commands too.
• Free TV on the phone. WatchFree+ streams free live channels inside the app, with a free VIZIO account and no Vizio TV needed.
• Photos with VIZIOgram. The app sends photos and videos to a Vizio TV through VIZIOgram, Vizio's photo sharing feature.
• Not screen mirroring. Neither Vizio's App Store listing nor its manuals describe mirroring the iPhone's screen from the app. To mirror, use Screen Mirroring in Control Center.

The App Store also has many Vizio remote and screen mirroring apps from other developers. Vizio's own is the one listed by VIZIO, Inc., and on a Vizio with AirPlay you don't need any of them.

The HDMI cable route: works on any Vizio TV

A cable works on every Vizio TV with an HDMI port, with AirPlay or without, and needs no Wi-Fi and no code. It's also the connection that lets Netflix and other protected video through.

1. Plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into the iPhone or iPad, or use a single cable with USB-C on one end and HDMI on the other.
2. Run an HDMI cable from the adapter to a free HDMI port on the Vizio TV. Vizio names the ports on the back of the TV: HDMI-1, HDMI-2 and so on.
3. Press INPUT on the Vizio remote, highlight that HDMI port with the arrow buttons or by pressing INPUT again, and press OK.
4. Your screen appears on the TV. If the adapter has a charging port, plug the charger in to keep the battery up.

No remote to hand? The Power/Input button on the TV itself steps to the next input each time you press it, and the VIZIO Mobile app has an Input key.

• iPads: every iPad with USB-C sends video. Through an HDMI 2.0 adapter, the iPad (A16), iPad mini (A17 Pro), every M-series iPad Air and every USB-C iPad Pro send up to 4K at 60Hz; the iPad (10th generation), iPad mini (6th generation) and iPad Air (4th generation) top out at 4K at 30Hz.
• iPhones: iPhone 15 and later send video over USB-C, except the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air, which send none. Use AirPlay with those.
• Lightning iPhones and iPads need Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter and an HDMI cable, at up to 1080p.

Vizio's picture size setting is Aspect Ratio: Menu > Picture > Aspect Ratio, or All Settings > Picture > Aspect Ratio on newer models. Leave it on Normal, the default, which Vizio says makes no change: Wide and Stretch pull the picture out to the sides, and Zoom enlarges it by 14 percent.

Which adapter to buy, and why some show nothing: the USB-C to HDMI adapter guide. Just the iPhone side: how to connect an iPhone to a TV.

Netflix goes black when you mirror to a Vizio? Why, and what works

Streaming services protect their video with DRM, and AirPlay Screen Mirroring never carries protected video: the picture goes black while menus, subtitles and often the sound keep going. Nothing is wrong with the Vizio TV. Netflix goes further: its help center says AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad isn't supported at all.

What works instead, cheapest first:

• The app on the Vizio TV. Vizio lists Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV+ and YouTube among the 300+ apps on VIZIO OS. Sign in on the TV and leave the iPhone out of it.
• Cast from the Netflix app. Netflix casts to select cast-enabled Vizio TVs, on its Standard or Premium plans. If the TV isn't in the app's Cast list, use the Netflix app on the TV.
• A USB-C to HDMI cable. Over a cable, the Netflix app plays on the TV. Plug the adapter straight into the TV: a splitter or capture card in between can break the HDCP copy-protection handshake.
• A browser on the TV, over the same cable. ScreenCommand plays Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock on the TV over a USB-C cable, not over AirPlay.

The full story, service by service: the Netflix black screen, explained.

Vizio AirPlay not working? Try these

• The Vizio TV isn't in the Screen Mirroring list. Check that the TV is on, and that it and the iPhone or iPad are on the same Wi-Fi network: a guest network counts as a different one. Apple also says to keep the devices near each other and to restart them.
• Update the TV and the iPhone. On the TV: MENU, then Admin & Privacy > Check for Updates (under All Settings on newer models, or System > Check for Updates on older ones). On the iPhone or iPad: Settings > General > Software Update.
• Restart the TV from its menu. MENU, then Admin & Privacy > Restart TV (under All Settings on newer models), which some models call Reboot TV or Soft Power Cycle; on older models, System > Reboot TV. Vizio says this forces the TV to turn off and on again.
• Added the TV to the Home app? Then the Home app's settings can limit who may AirPlay to it. Apple says to check Speakers & TV in Home Settings.
• Casting fails on a 2016 to 2020 Vizio. In 2025 Vizio confirmed a known issue with Google Cast on certain models from those years and rolled out an update to fix it. Check for updates, then restart the TV, as above.
• Black bars on both sides. That's the iPad's or iPhone's shape, not a fault, and Wide or Stretch distorts it. To fill the TV, use an app's AirPlay or Cast button, connect an M-series iPad by cable and extend, or use an app that draws its own picture, like ScreenCommand.
• The edges are cut off. The TV may be set to Zoom, which Vizio says enlarges the picture by 14 percent. Set Aspect Ratio back to Normal in the Picture menu.
• “No Signal” over a cable. Vizio's fix: look behind the TV to see which port you used, press INPUT and choose that port. Reseat both ends, try another port, and check that the adapter carries video. An iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e or iPhone Air sends no video over USB-C.

Where ScreenCommand fits

Mirroring shows the iPhone or iPad on the Vizio TV. ScreenCommand shows the web instead: a desktop browser that fills the TV at its own resolution, edge to edge, with your iPad or iPhone as the trackpad and keyboard.

• Any Vizio TV with HDMI, over a cable. Old or new, AirPlay or not. A cable is the recommended connection, with the lowest cursor lag.
• Or through an Apple TV plugged into the Vizio TV, over AirPlay, with a little more cursor lag. Here's how to get a web browser on Apple TV.
• Streaming over a 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.
• Websites, not apps. ScreenCommand shows web pages. For an iPhone game or app on the TV, use Screen Mirroring.
• $4.99 one-time. No subscription, no account to create, zero data collection.

If all you want is Netflix or YouTube on the Vizio TV, its own apps and Chromecast built-in do that for free. ScreenCommand is for the rest of the web on the big screen, with a real cursor.

It needs an iPad with USB-C on iPadOS 17 or later, or an iPhone on iOS 17 or later. Over a cable, an iPhone needs USB-C video out: iPhone 15 or later, except iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.

Frequently asked questions

More product questions (pricing, gestures, privacy) are covered in the main FAQ.

Keep reading

• Connect an iPad to a smart TV
• iPad or iPhone to Google TV
• Connect an iPhone to a TV
• Which USB-C HDMI adapter to buy
• Netflix black screen, explained
• Web browser on Apple TV
• vs Screen Mirroring