Although I was having a blast watching Netflix through my Amazon Fire TV stick, I wanted to mirror my iPhone to it, because I wanted to watch some YouTube videos on it. So, I researched into the topic and put together this complete guide to explain if you can or not.
So, can you mirror an iPhone to a Fire TV stick? You absolutely can mirror an iPhone to an Amazon Fire TV stick. You do this by installing an Airplay App on your Fire TV stick. One that works well is the Airbuddy app. You download it from the Fire TV stick Apps menu which is an option at the top of your TV when your Firestick is plugged in.
Exactly how to install can be a bit tricky, and there’s a few things you want to watch out for. So, below I will explain step by step exactly how to get it working, and some other tips about how to watch content on your iPhone on your TV using your Fire TV sticks.
How do you mirror an iPhone to a Fire TV stick using Airplay?
| Mirror an iPhone to a Fire TV stick using Airplay |
- Plug your Amazon Fire TV stick into the micro USB power cable
- Plug your Amazon Fire TV stick into the HDMI port on your TV
- Select the HDMI source for your Fire TV stick
- Follow the onscreen prompts
- Enable Display Mirroring on your Fire TV stick
- Go to the Fire TV stick app store and download Airscreen
- Go to the control center on your iPhone and select screen mirroring
You might have forgotten how to use Airplay or have never used it before. Whether you just got your Fire TV stick or you’ve been using it for a while, and are pretty comfortable with it, the steps below cover everything you need to know to get it working.
Step 1: Make sure you Fire TV stick is connected to your TV and a Wi-Fi connection
You can skip this whole step, and move on to step 2 if you’re already using your Amazon Fire TV stick. But, if you’ve never used your Amazon Fire TV stick, or are brand new to using it then follow the instructions in this step.
Your Fire TV stick needs to be connected to your TV, and connected to the Wi-Fi so that you can download the app you need to mirror your iPhone to your Fire TV stick. Without a Wi-Fi connection, you can’t download it, and it needs to be connected to your TV in an HDMI port on your TV.
| 1. Plug your Amazon Fire TV stick into the micro USB power cable. The Amazon Fire TV stick needs to be plugged into a power supply to work. It comes with a micro USB power cable. So, go ahead and plug your Fire TV stick into the micro USB power cable so that it’s getting power and is ready to go. |
| 2. Plug your Amazon Fire TV stick into the HDMI port on your TV. Almost all TVs made within the last 18 years will have an HDMI port. So, locate the HDMI port on your TV. The port will look the same as the end on your Amazon Fire TV Stick, and it will be cleared labeled HDMI. The HDMI port sends the audio and visual signal from the Amazon Fire TV stick to the TV so that it plays. Plug it straight in gently, that way if you accidentally got the wrong port you won’t damage anything |
| 3. Select the HDMI source for your Fire TV stick. This is done using the remote for your TV. You do it by pressing the ‘source’ button on the remote and selecting HDMI. Your TV will show on the screen what is playing on the ‘source’ device. For example, if the source is a DVD player your TV will play what is playing on the DVD player. So, you want to change the source so that it is the HDMI port, which is where your Fire TV stick is plugged into. This will show on your TV what the Fire TV stick is playing. |
| 4. Follow the onscreen prompts. Once your TV is displaying what is on the Amazon Fire TV stick it will run through the initial setup. All the instructions and steps will be displayed on your TV screen and are easy to follow. It will: |
- Power up your Amazon Fire TV stick
- Search for the Fire TV stick remote
- Choose your language
- Scan for Wi-Fi networks
- Prompt you to choose a Wi-Fi network
- Ask you to put in the Wi-Fi password
- Register your Amazon account
- Enable parental controls
- Show a 2-minute video about the Fire TV stick
- Select streaming services
| 5. Enable Display Mirroring on your Fire TV stick. Next, you need to enable display mirroring on your Fire TV stick. To do this go to the ‘Settings’ option which is at the top right on your Fire TV stick homepage. Then select ‘Display & Sounds’ settings. After that select, the option ‘Enable Display Mirroring’. With this option disabled you won’t be able to mirror your iPhone to your Fire TV stick. Finally, it’s all set up and you will see the Amazon Fire TV stick home screen. Now, you’re ready to install the Airplay App to your Amazon Fire TV Stick, and that’s the topic for the next section. |
Step 2: Install the Airplay App to your Amazon Fire TV stick
Now that your Amazon Fire TV stick is all set up and you can access the home screen, you need to install an Airplay App to mirror your iPhone to your Amazon Fire TV stick.
Without an Airplay App, there is no way to mirror your iPhone to your Amazon Fire TV stick. There are a bunch of paid apps you can use. But, I prefer free, that’s why I recommend Airscreen.
| 1. Go to the Fire TV stick app store and download Airscreen Select the App store at the top of the home screen, and do a search for Airscreen. This will bring up the Airscreen app. Then you need to select it and hit download. This will download the Airscreen App to your Fire TV stick, ready to be used. |
| 2. Go to the control center on your iPhone and select screen mirroring The control center is the hidden menu that comes up when you accidentally swipe up on your phone. Or, on purpose. But, just swipe up from the bottom of your phone when it is unlocked, and it will bring up additional settings such as Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and screen brightness. |
It looks like this:
You want to tap on screen mirroring to enable it. When you tap it will automatically display the devices it can connect to. You want to select the Amazon Fire TV stick. Then you need to press the center button on your Fire TV stick remote.
Then your TV will show the screen that is on your iPhone. And you can look at photos, browse the internet, and play Youtube videos directly on your TV.
Can You Mirror Other iOS Devices to Your Fire TV Stick?
You can definitely mirror anything from any other iOS device, such as an iPad, or Mac to your Fire TV stick. You do this using the same steps above. Simple, installing the Airscreen app onto any device that you want to mirror to your Fire TV stick.
How About Mirror Android Devices?
Android devices are a bit more finicky. There is no recommended App, but some Android phones and tablets can connect to your Fire TV stick. The answer is a big maybe. My best advice is to search for how to connect your specific Android phone to an Amazon Fire TV stick.
For example, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S2. There search for ‘how to connect a Samsung Galaxy S2 to a Fire TV stick’.
Can You Mirror Your iPhone to A Fire TV Stick When You Have No Internet Connection?
Yes, you can mirror any media such as movies, photos, or music to your TV using your iPhone without an internet connection. You just need to have both your Fire TV stick and your iPhone connected to the same Wi-Fi router. It works even if your Wi-Fi router doesn’t have an internet connection.
How Do You Cast Netflix to Your Amazon Fire TV Stick?
- Install the Netflix App on your Fire TV stick
- Sign in to your Netflix App
To cast your Netflix account to your Amazon Fire TV stick, you need to follow the previous instructions in Step 1 of this article, that will make sure your Amazon Fire TV stick is all set up and ready to cast Netflix on it.
Once your Amazon Fire TV stick is all connected you then need to install the Netflix app onto your Amazon Fire TV stick. I’ll include the instructions below:
| 1. Install the Netflix App on your Fire TV stick. To install the Netflix app you need to go to the App Store on your Amazon Fire TV stick. This is an option at the top of the home screen for your Amazon Fire TV stick. Once you’re on the App store do a search for ‘Netflix’. This will bring up the Netflix app. You then need to click on it to install it. After it has downloaded and installed you can run the app from the Fire TV stick home screen. |
| 2. Sign in to your Netflix App. Now, you need to sign in to your Netflix account using your Netflix user ID and password. The Netflix app will prompt you to sign in or create a new Netflix account to start using Netflix. Follow the on-screen prompts and then you will have access to the Netflix app and can select any series and movies you want to watch on your TV using the Fire TV stick. |
I’ve done all the steps but it’s still not working
Although, mirroring technology is super convenient, and will work most of the time without any issues. Sometimes it still might not work, and it’s not because you haven’t set it up correctly, so I’ll explain some fixes you can try that are usually causing the issue.
Try the instructions for each step below, one by one, to see if they fix the issue. They are listed in order from most likely to fix it to least likely. But, you never know which one might be causing the issue so don’t get disheartened if it still doesn’t work after trying the first few.
1. Restart your Amazon Fire TV stick
Completely turn off your Amazon Fire TV stick, then turn it back on again. A Fire TV stick will have more than one application running in the background, and sometimes one of them can freeze or stop working. When this happens it can cause the other apps to malfunction.
When you turn off your Fire TV stick it will close all of the open applications, and restart them fresh again. This is usually the first thing I will try when I have an issue with any electronic device like a Laptop, Fire TV stick, or smartphone.
Give it a try and if it’s still not working go on to the next step.
2. Hard crash your iPhone/iPad/Mac
Next you want to hard crash your iPhone. To do this press and hold the home button and power button until your iPhone turns off. It will then turn itself back on automatically.
It’s a bit different to hardcrash the new iPhones, iPads, and Macs. I would do a search for how to crash your specific device on Google. For example ‘how to hard crash an iPhone 8’. And follow the instructions you find there.
This will close all the apps that are on your iPhone, and restart them. An app might have malfunctioned in the background will make screen mirroring not work.
Interestingly this is a great fix for any other issues you might be experiencing on your smartphone. Such as, if another app isn’t working, or it can’t connect to Wi-Fi.
3. Check the Wi-Fi connections are the same for your Fire TV stick and iPhone
The Amazon Fire TV stick and your iPhone need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network for screen mirroring to work. Most folks will only have one Wi-Fi connection in their home. But make sure, you’re not trying to connect to screen mirroring when through your data connection on your iPhone.
Like me, you probably would assume that it would connect over any internet connection. But, screen mirroring is different because it only works over Wi-Fi. But, interestingly it will work whether your Wi-Fi modem is connected to the internet or not.
4. Check you have the latest iOS update on your iPhone
You might have a pending update on your iOS device. Unfortunately these do take a while to install so if you’re like me probably put it off until you absolutely have to. You can see whether you have a pending update in your settings. It will show a small red one in the corner of the different options in your settings.
If you have a pending update, follow the onscreen instructions to install it. It usually takes about 15 minutes after it has downloaded the update. Then try to mirror your screen again. The updates fix minor bugs and security flaws which might be what’s causing it not to work.
In Conclusion
You can mirror your iPhone to your Fire TV stick. To do this you need to install an App onto your Fire TV stick. There are a few paid and free apps. But, a free one which I recommend is the Airscreen App. You first need to set up your Amazon Fire TV stick, and then install the app.
Once the app is installed you need to select screen mirroring from on your iPhone. Once that’s done anything that is being displayed on your iPhone will show on your TV through your Fire TV stick.
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