How to Play Music From Your iPhone on Your TV for a Party

The short answer

If your TV has AirPlay (any Apple TV 4K, and many smart TVs including most Roku TVs), you don't need anything extra: put the iPhone on the same Wi-Fi as the TV, start the music, open Control Center, tap the AirPlay button and pick the TV (Apple Support). The music comes out of the TV, or out of the soundbar connected to it, and you can lock the phone and put it in your pocket.

If the TV doesn't appear in that list, it isn't an AirPlay receiver (or it's on a different network). Then use a cable or Bluetooth instead.

The rest of this guide covers each one step by step, the snags that usually hit an hour before guests arrive, and what to do if the TV just won't show up.

Who this is for

You're hosting Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or a December party. The playlist is ready on your phone, and the best speakers in the house are the TV's, or the soundbar under it. You don't have a separate party speaker, or the one you have sounds thin in a room full of people.

This guide is for doing that from an iPhone. The steps work with any music app, including Apple Music, Spotify and our own app, Trending Music. We say where each app's own button is when it matters.

Option 1: AirPlay the audio to the TV

This is the one to try first. Apple says AirPlay streams audio to "AirPlay-compatible speakers or smart TVs" as well as Apple TV and HomePod (Apple Support), and leading TV makers build it into their sets (Apple). Roku says AirPlay works on most of its TVs and streaming players running Roku OS 9.4 or later (Roku Support).

1. Turn the TV on and connect it to your home Wi-Fi. Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Start playing the music in whichever app you use.
3. Open Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom).
4. Tap the AirPlay button on the music controls, the triangle with circles above it.
5. Tap your TV in the list. If the TV shows a code, type it into the iPhone.

The music now plays from the TV. Play, pause, skip and volume still work from the iPhone, so you can lock it and carry on hosting. To stop, open the same AirPlay list and tap your iPhone.

Most music apps also have their own AirPlay button. Apple's steps for that are simply: open the app, tap AirPlay, tap a speaker (Apple Support).

One TV and a speaker in the kitchen? In the same AirPlay list, you can tick more than one device to play on several at once (Apple Support), as long as each one is an AirPlay speaker.

Option 2: Screen Mirroring, when you want the screen too

AirPlay audio sends only the sound. If you'd like the song title, the album art or the lyrics up on the big screen for a sing-along, mirror the iPhone instead. Everything on your phone's screen then appears on the TV.

1. Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi as the Apple TV or AirPlay smart TV.
2. Open Control Center and tap Screen Mirroring.
3. Choose your TV. If a passcode appears on the TV, enter it on the iPhone.
4. To stop, open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, then Stop Mirroring (Apple Support).

Before you mirror at a party, turn off notifications. Apple says notifications are allowed by default when you're mirroring. Go to Settings > Notifications > Screen Sharing and turn Allow Notifications off (Apple Support). Otherwise your texts appear on the TV in front of everyone.

Mirroring has two other costs. The phone has to stay unlocked and on the music app, because whatever you open next shows up on the TV too. And the screen stays on all evening, so plug the phone in.

Option 3: An HDMI cable, for a TV without AirPlay

Any TV with an HDMI port works with a cable, and it doesn't need Wi-Fi. You need an adapter that matches your iPhone's port (Apple Support):

• iPhone with a USB-C port: a USB-C to HDMI adapter, such as Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. Apple lists iPhone 15 models, iPhone 16 and 17 models (except iPhone 16e and 17e), and iPhone 18 Pro models and iPhone Duo as able to connect to a display (Apple Support). That leaves out the 16e and 17e, so use Option 1 or 4 with those.
• iPhone with a Lightning port: Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter.

Plug the adapter into the iPhone, run an HDMI cable to the TV, and switch the TV to that HDMI input. The TV shows a copy of your iPhone screen, the same as Screen Mirroring, so the notifications advice above applies.

Picture but no sound? Apple's first check is that you're using a Digital AV adapter with an HDMI port; VGA adapters don't carry audio (Apple Support). Next, unplug and reconnect both ends, try another HDMI cable, and remove any extension cables or converters.

Both Apple adapters have a second port for charging, so the phone can charge while it plays.

Option 4: Pair a Bluetooth soundbar

Many soundbars have their own Bluetooth input, which is often simpler than going through the TV. Put the soundbar in pairing mode (its manual or remote will have a Bluetooth button), then on the iPhone open Settings > Bluetooth and tap the soundbar's name when it appears (Apple Support).

After the first time, choose the soundbar from the AirPlay list in Control Center whenever you want it. Bluetooth doesn't need Wi-Fi, but it has a shorter range than AirPlay, so keep the phone in the same room.

If the soundbar doesn't appear, Apple suggests turning it off and on again and checking the manual for how to make it discoverable (Apple Support).

Why doesn't my TV show up in the AirPlay list?

Work down this list. Most problems are the first one.

1. Different networks. The iPhone and the TV must be on the same Wi-Fi (Apple Support). If you set up a guest network for visitors, check that your own phone didn't join it: a guest network is a separate network from the one the TV is on.
2. The TV is off or asleep. Turn it on with the remote and try again.
3. AirPlay is switched off on the TV. On a smart TV, look for AirPlay in the TV's settings menu and make sure it's on. On a Roku, check that it's running Roku OS 9.4 or later under Settings > System > About. Roku also lists a few older models that don't support AirPlay at all (Roku Support).
4. The TV doesn't have AirPlay. If it's not on the list after all that, use an HDMI cable (Option 3) or a Bluetooth soundbar (Option 4).

Apple keeps its own checklist, starting with the same network check (Apple Support).

Party-proof it before the doorbell rings

• Test it an hour before. Play a song through the TV from where the phone will sit. Finding a network problem with eight guests in the hallway is worse.
• Check the volume in two places. The iPhone's volume and the TV's volume both count. Set the TV around the middle and use the phone for fine changes.
• Plug the phone in. Three or four hours of music will drain the battery, and mirroring or an HDMI adapter keeps the screen on the whole time.
• Turn on Do Not Disturb. Calls and message sounds can still interrupt playback. A Focus stops them.
• Decide on Automatic AirPlay. Your iPhone can connect to TVs and speakers you use often on its own. Set Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity > Automatically AirPlay to Ask if you'd rather choose (Apple Support).
• Mind the room. The TV's speakers face one way. If dinner is at the other end of the room, the advice in our Thanksgiving dinner music guide about volume and placement still applies: you should be able to talk across the table without leaning in.

Doing it from Trending Music

Trending Music is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. Everything above works with it, and there's a shortcut in the player.

1. Connect from Control Center (Option 1). Trending's player doesn't show its own AirPlay button while the music is on the iPhone speaker. Once you're connected, the TV's name appears at the bottom of the full-screen player; tap it to switch to another AirPlay device or open Bluetooth Settings for a soundbar.
2. For a sing-along, use the Lyrics tab in the player, and mirror the screen (Option 2) so everyone can read along. Lyrics show when they're available for that recording; not every version has them. Our karaoke song list has crowd-pleasers.
3. Let guests add songs with a collaborative playlist: in Library > Playlists, tap +, choose New Collaborative, and send the link to the group chat before the party. Hosting one needs a free Trending account. How collaborative playlists work.

What it doesn't do: Trending has no Chromecast or Google Cast support and no Apple TV app, so on a TV without AirPlay, use the cable or Bluetooth options above.

One honest catch: the free version shows an occasional full-screen ad between songs, and the music pauses while it's up. With AirPlay audio, guests just hear a short gap. With mirroring or a cable, the ad is on the TV too. Premium removes the ads. If you'd rather not, use AirPlay audio for the party and save mirroring for a short sing-along.

Can I play music on my TV from my iPhone without Wi-Fi?

Yes, with a cable or Bluetooth. An HDMI adapter (Option 3) connects the iPhone directly to the TV, and a Bluetooth soundbar (Option 4) pairs directly with the phone. Neither needs a Wi-Fi network. AirPlay and Screen Mirroring do, because the phone and the TV must be on the same network (Apple Support). Your music app still needs internet to stream, unless the songs are saved on the phone.

Can I play the same music on the TV and another speaker?

Yes, if both are AirPlay devices. In the AirPlay list in Control Center, tap each TV or speaker you want, and the music plays on all of them at once (Apple Support). Apple says you can play music on an AirPlay smart TV and sync it with other AirPlay-compatible speakers in your home (Apple). A Bluetooth speaker can't join that group.

The rest of the season

With the sound sorted, the music is the next job. Thanksgiving dinner music has a list built for the table, and the Friendsgiving playlist is for a younger, louder room. For December, the best Christmas songs covers the classics, and winter songs that aren't Christmas songs is for a mixed crowd. If the music cuts out on a Bluetooth soundbar halfway through the evening, Bluetooth connects but music doesn't play walks through the fixes.

Get Trending Music free on the App Store