Modern users often face the challenge of showing photos, videos or gameplay from a mobile device on a big screen. Owners of the Apple ecosystem and Xiaomi appliances are no exception, although there is a certain software boundary between iOS and Android TV (on which many Xiaomi models are based). Fortunately, engineers have envisaged several effective methods to broadcast content without loss of quality.
The main difficulty is that Apple’s native AirPlay technology is not built directly into the Android TV operating system used in Xiaomi TVs. However, this limitation is easily bypassed by special intermediary apps or built-in smart home features. You can choose the option of wired connectivity for maximum stability or the wireless method for ease of use.
In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to synchronize devices. We will look at both standard Mi Home tools and third-party solutions, which are often even more stable. Proper network configuration and understanding of the principles of data protocols will help you avoid delays and desynchronization of sound.
Preparation of equipment and network for stable operation
Before you start setting up the software, you need to make sure the infrastructure is physically ready. The fundamental condition for wireless video streaming is that both devices — iPhone and Xiaomi TV — are on the same local network. If your router is sending out a signal at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, make sure that both gadgets are connected to one of them, although modern routers often combine them into a single network.
Image quality is directly dependent on channel bandwidth. 1080p or 4K video requires a stable signal. If the router is far from the TV, image artifacts or buffering are possible. Ideally, the TV should be connected to the router via an Ethernet cable, which will free up Wi-Fi air for the smartphone and provide maximum data transfer speed.
☑️ Checking before connection
Also worth checking out is the software versions. On a Xiaomi TV, go to the settings menu and select About Device to check for system updates. On an iPhone, iOS relevance is critical to the proper operation of the AirPlay protocol. Outdated software may contain bugs that block the detection of external displays.
⚠️ Attention: Use of mobile internet (3G/4G/5G) iPhone instead of Wi-Fi will make wireless broadcasting impossible, as devices will be in different segments of the network.
Using the built-in Mi Home app for broadcasting
The easiest and most native way offered by the manufacturer is to use the Mi Home ecosystem. This method does not require installing additional software on the TV, since all the necessary components are already sewn into the PatchWall or Android TV shell. First, you will need to install the Mi Home app from the App Store on your iPhone, if it is not already installed.
Once you have the app launched and logged in to your Xiaomi account, the system will automatically start searching for available devices on the local network. When your TV appears in the list, click on it to go to the control panel. The remote interface often has a Translation button or arrow screen icon, clicking on it initiates search and connection.
This is a good way to be simple, but it may have limitations in functionality, such as being great for showing photo galleries or videos from embedded players, but may not support full screen mirroring (when you can see everything on your iPhone, including desktops on TV), and the application interface may vary depending on the region where your account is registered.
Why can't Mi Home see TV?
Importantly, the function sometimes requires activating the Mobile Projector mode in the settings of the TV itself. The path to this feature usually looks like My apps → Wireless screen. Once activated, the TV goes into a waiting state of connection, becoming visible to external devices.
Broadcasting via AirPlay protocol and compatible applications
Since iOS is originally designed to work with AirPlay, the most organic way will be to use Xiaomi TVs that support this protocol natively, or install a special AirPlay server on the Internet. TV. Many new Xiaomi TV models already have built-in AirPlay 2 support. → Apple AirPlay and HomeKit.
If native support is not available or is not stable, AirPlay emulator apps for Android TV come to the rescue. One of the most popular solutions is the AirScreen or AirPin app. They must be downloaded from the Google Play Store, which is available on Xiaomi TV through the built-in app store.
Once you install and run this app on your TV, it creates a virtual device that your iPhone perceives as Apple's native TV. To connect to your iPhone, you need to open Control Point (swipe down from the top right corner on new models or up from the bottom on old ones) and press the Replay button, and the name of your TV or application will appear in the list.
| Appendix to TV | AirPlay support | Miracast support | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirScreen | Yes. | Yes. | Available (in the free version) |
| AirPin(PRO) | Yes. | Yes. | No (paid) |
| (Mi Cast) | Partially. | Yes. | No. |
| Web Video Caster | No (my protocol) | No. | There is. |
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Using specialized AirPlay emulator apps on your TV often gives you a more stable picture and less latency than Xiaomi’s built-in tools.
Screen mirroring through third-party receiver apps
If standard methods don't suit you in quality or functionality, you should look at cross-platform solutions. Apps like Web Video Caster work on a different principle: they don't mirror the entire screen, but take a link to the video stream and play it back on the TV, which takes the load off the iPhone processor and saves battery power.
To use this method, you need to install a companion app on both your iPhone and your Xiaomi TV. Once they run both apps, they'll find each other on the local network. In the app on your smartphone, you pick a video file or a link to an online resource, you pick the target device, and the video starts playing on the big screen.
The advantage of this approach is that you can control playback from your phone without interrupting the stream. You can fold an application, respond to a message, or even turn off your smartphone screen, and the video on your TV will continue to go, which is especially convenient for watching long movies or TV shows from cloud storage.
- 📺 TV Cast is a popular Safari browser solution that allows you to send videos from web pages directly to the Safari browser. TV.
- 📱 LocalCast is a powerful tool for broadcasting media files from your phone’s memory or network folders NAS.
- 🍏 Replica – an application specializing in mirroring the iOS screen on Android TV minimally delayed.
Free versions of these programs often have session or image quality restrictions. High-resolution 4K HDR may require a premium version to be used regularly, but even the basic functionality often outperforms the standard means.
Wireless connection of iPhone to the TV Xiaomi
Wireless technology is convenient, but it doesn’t guarantee absolute stability, especially in the noisy air of an apartment building. If you want the perfect picture without compression artifacts and delays (which is critical for gaming), a wired connection will be the best choice. You will need a Lightning to adapter. HDMI (or USB-C to HDMI for new iPhone models and the regular HDMI-cable.
The connection process is as simple as possible and doesn't require network setup. You plug the adapter into the iPhone charging connector, plug in. HDMI-cable to the adapter and to the free port of the TV. Then on the Xiaomi remote, click the signal source select button and specify the corresponding port, for example, HDMI 1 HDMI 2.
The image will appear on the screen instantly. Unlike wireless methods, there is no compression of the video stream, which provides the best color reproduction and detail. In addition, the phone will charge during use if the adapter has an additional port to connect the power supply.
⚠️ Note: When using cheap unlicensed adapters, the image may periodically disappear or twitch. Apple strictly controls the certification of accessories, so it is recommended to use original adapters or products of authorized partners (MFi certified).
Solving Connection and Delay Problems
Even if you follow all the instructions, you can face technical difficulties, and one of the most common problems is when the TV is visible on the network, but the connection is not installed or constantly breaks, and the first thing you need to do is reboot both devices: completely turn off the TV from the socket for 10-15 seconds and reboot the iPhone.
Another common problem is desynchronization of sound and video, which often happens when Wi-Fi channels are overloaded, so you should try changing the wireless channel in the router settings or switching the devices to a 5 GHz frequency, which is less loaded but has a smaller range.
If the audio is not available, check the audio output settings on the iPhone itself. Sometimes the system forgets to switch the audio stream to an external device. Also make sure that the TV does not turn on the video only mode in the settings of the receiver application.
- 🔄 Resetting network settings on iPhone can help if the problem is software-based on the smartphone side.
- 📡 Shutdown VPN — Virtual networks often block local device detection, considering them a security threat.
- 🔌 Replacement HDMI-cable – when wired, poor contact or old cable can cause “snow” on the screen or no signal.
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For fast-paced games (shooter, racing) use only wired connections. Even a minimal delay of 100 ms over Wi-Fi can make the game uncomfortable.