How To AirPlay iPhone Photos & Videos To An iMac

With macOS Monterey paired with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, an iMac or any other Mac, becomes a receiver for streaming movies, music and more using AirPlay.

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Apple has added a new ability to its iMac and other Mac computers that allows them to be used as targets for casting from an iPhone or iPad. This means iPhone photos and videos can be streamed on the much larger screen of a desktop monitor or MacBook display easily by using AirPlay. Since this happens via streaming instead of a file transfer, the content shows up without any delay.

AirPlay is Apple’s wireless streaming solution that allows both audio, video, photos, and device screens to be streamed to compatible TVs and speakers. AirPlay is a proprietary protocol with digital rights management built-in, so the selection of smart TVs and Bluetooth speakers that can be used as targets is somewhat limited. However, Apple TV provides a way to use AirPlay with most TVs by using an HDMI cable.

With the macOS Monterey update, which is currently available as a public beta release, Apple allows a Mac desktop or MacBook to act as if it is a TV or speaker for use with Apple’s AirPlay. The iPhone or iPad that is sending must also be using the latest beta version of iOS and iPadOS. Before the end of the year, this will be standard on all of Apple’s operating systems, so everyone will have this capability soon. Besides the instant, high-quality photo and video sharing, AirPlay also allows screen mirroring, so everything that appears on the iPhone or iPad screen will also show up on the Mac’s display.

How To Use AirPlay From IPhone To IMac

Using AirPlay with a Mac is quite simple when macOS Monterey is installed along with iOS 15 on the iPhone or iPadOS 15 on an iPad. The standard AirPlay controls will reveal the Mac or MacBook in the list. AirPlay can be enabled by swiping down to open the Control Center. Tapping the icon that looks like two overlapping rounded rectangles will open the screen mirroring list. Tapping the AirPlay icon will open its playback controls along with a list of receiving devices. The AirPlay icon always includes a triangle but adds another element for the type of media. The triangle appears below a rounded rectangle when video media was last played, or below radiating circles when sound was used last.

While most iPad models have a fairly large screen and being a hand-held device might be sufficient for most personal video needs, streaming sound to a Mac is still useful since there may be better speakers connected to the computer. For the iPhone, having the option to use the Mac or MacBook’s screen will make a big difference and the better speakers are a nice bonus. In particular, the newest computer from Apple, the iMac has a large, high-resolution, built-in 24-inch monitor with six speakers. Scrolling through photos and videos is much more enjoyable on a big screen with high-fidelity sound making AirPlay for the Mac a nice addition, and a further expansion of Apple’s product integration.