What plays on your TV
TVkip sends photos, videos and music to the TV's own media player, and every TV plays different formats. The app checks which TV you cast to and converts what it can before sending.
Plays almost everywhere
- Video: MP4 with H.264 picture and AAC sound, up to 1080p.
- Photos: JPEG. Photos from your library, HEIC and Live Photos included, are converted to JPEG automatically.
- Music: MP3 and AAC (M4A). FLAC and WAV play on most TVs from 2016 on.
iPhone videos: HEVC, HDR and Dolby Vision
iPhone records in High Efficiency (HEVC), and iPhone 12 and later record HDR (Dolby Vision). Most TVs from 2016 on, Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer, Chromecast Ultra and 4K Rokus play these videos. Older Chromecasts, HD Rokus and older TVs don't.
- Pick videos in Videos: the app converts them to H.264 when your TV needs it. Long videos take a moment to convert.
- Videos picked in Files are sent as they are. If one doesn't play, save it to Photos and pick it there, or choose Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible for new videos.
- HDR videos can look pale on TVs without HDR.
By device
- Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Hisense (DLNA): MP4, MOV and MKV.
- Chromecast and Google TV: MP4 and WebM; MOV and MKV usually play. Older Chromecasts play up to 1080p and no HEVC.
- Speakers and speaker groups (Google Home, Nest, Sonos and others): music only.
- Roku: MP4, MOV, MKV and live streams; HEVC and 4K on 4K Rokus only. Roku's player can't jump to a position.
Copy-protected media
Videos from paid streaming services and Apple Music songs are copy-protected (DRM), so the app can't send them to the TV, and mirroring shows them as black. Open the service's app on the TV instead: the app launcher in TVkip opens it in one tap.
Still not playing?
- Keep TVkip open while the TV plays: iOS pauses the app's media server shortly after you leave it.
- Turn off a VPN on your iPhone, and make sure the iPhone and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi (not a guest network).
- Some TVs need DMR, Screen Share or Chromecast built-in turned on in their network settings.
- If your TV has AirPlay, try that instead; see AirPlay TVs.