Screen mirroring lets you display your phone or tablet’s screen right on your TV through your Firestick, whether you want to show off vacation photos, browse a website on the big screen, or play a game that isn’t available as a Fire TV app. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you’re using an Android or Apple device.

What Is Screen Mirroring?

Fire TV devices support Miracast, a wireless display standard built into most Android phones and tablets, so Android devices can mirror to a Firestick without installing anything extra. Apple doesn’t support Miracast, so iPhones and iPads either need a Fire TV model with AirPlay support or a third-party mirroring app from the Amazon Appstore.

Mirror an Android Phone or Tablet

  1. On your Firestick, go to Settings, then Display & Sounds, then Enable Display Mirroring (on some models this is simply an app called Mirroring on the home screen).
  2. On your Android phone, open Quick Settings by swiping down from the top of the screen.
  3. Tap Cast, Screen Cast, or Smart View (the name varies by phone brand).
  4. Select your Firestick from the list of available devices and wait a few seconds for the connection to complete.
  5. Your phone’s screen will now appear on your TV. To stop mirroring, open Quick Settings again and tap Disconnect.

Mirror an iPhone or iPad

Newer Fire TV devices support Apple AirPlay directly. If your Firestick has AirPlay built in, you’ll find it under Settings, then AirPlay. If not, you can still mirror using a third-party app.

  1. If your Firestick supports AirPlay, go to Settings, then AirPlay, and make sure it’s turned on.
  2. On your iPhone or iPad, open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older models).
  3. Tap Screen Mirroring and select your Firestick from the list.
  4. If a passcode appears on your TV, enter it on your iPhone or iPad to finish connecting.
  5. If your Firestick doesn’t support AirPlay, search the Amazon Appstore for a mirroring app such as AirScreen, install it on your Firestick, open it, and follow the on-screen instructions to connect from your iPhone or iPad’s Control Center.

Tips for a Better Mirroring Experience

  • Connect both your phone and Firestick to the same Wi-Fi network before mirroring; they won’t find each other on separate networks.
  • Close background apps on your phone to reduce lag during mirroring.
  • Keep your phone within a normal room’s distance of your router for a steadier connection.
  • Turn off battery saver mode on your phone while mirroring, since it can throttle the wireless connection.

Troubleshooting Mirroring Issues

If your Firestick doesn’t show up as an available device, restart both your phone and your Firestick, then try again, and confirm both are on the same Wi-Fi network. Choppy or laggy video is usually caused by Wi-Fi congestion, so moving your router closer or switching to the 5GHz band if your router supports it can help. If the audio and video fall out of sync, disconnect and reconnect the mirroring session, since this usually resolves itself after a fresh connection.

Once you’ve mirrored successfully once, reconnecting in the future is usually just a couple of taps, since your phone will remember your Firestick as a previously connected device.