Connect an iOS device to your television

Rob Mead-Green explains how to mirror your iPad to a television to play games and view photos

If you’ve got an iOS device and you’re pondering the best way to connect it to a television, you’ve come to the right place. You have two options: Connect your iPhone or iPad to a television using the Lightning Digital AV Adaptor and a HDMI cable Connect your iPhone or iPad to an Apple TV device using AirPlay

Both have their merits: it all depends on your preferences. We also consider ways to get the new Apple TV involved – it has a part to play here, too.

Lightning Digital AV Adaptor

The easiest option is to buy a Lightning Digital AV Adaptor from the Apple Store. At £40 it’s not cheap, and you’ll also need an HDMI Cable.

The adaptor contains an HDMI port to plug into the TV, a Lightning connector (output) for plugging into your iOS device, and a bonus Lightning port (input), which gives you the option of charging your iPad or iPhone at the same time.

To use the adaptor follow these steps:

Plug one end of an HDMI cable into the Lightning Digital AV Adaptor’s HDMI port and the other into a spare HDMI port on the back of your TV Connect the adaptor to your iPad and iPhone (this is the same port you normally use to power the iPad or iPhone) Optional: Connect your charger cable to the

Lightning port on the adaptor

Turn on the television and ensure that it’s set to display the video input from the HDMI socket (you normally use the remote to pick from multiple HDMI inputs on your television). You will see the iPad or iPhone’s home screen appear on the television.

Start playing some video on your iPad or iPhone. Either pick a movie file from the Videos app, or play a clip from BBC iPlayer, YouTube or any other video app. The Home screen will vanish from the TV, and the video will play in full definition. On the

iPad you will see a screen that says TV Connected. Now bring up the Control Center pane and choose Video Output to enable specific content from your iPhone to be sent to your TV just as with the AirPlay TV option below. Or select Mirroring to show off the whole shebang.

How to mirror iPad to TV via AirPlay

Your second option is to use an Apple TV (available from Apple starting at £129) and stream the video via AirPlay.

To do that, of course you’ll need an Apple TV that’s connected to your TV via a spare HDMI port and then connect the Apple TV to your wireless network. Choose the appropriate input on your TV and make sure the Apple TV’s home screen appears. Make sure your iOS device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network that your Apple TV is on.