Thanks to AirPlay, it’s very easy to share different media like photos, music, and videos from your iPad (or other Apple devices) to your Apple TV, smart TV, and speakers. You can also share your iPad screen by streaming it to a second AirPlay-compatible device. But when you’re done sharing and it’s time to turn AirPlay off, you might find yourself confused. The good news is that you can do it with just a few taps.
If you’re streaming a video from an app on your iPad via AirPlay, you just have to tap on the AirPlay icon within that app and then tap “Turn Off AirPlay” from the list of options. Meanwhile, if you’re using AirPlay to mirror the iPad, open up the Control Center, tap the screen mirroring icon (the two overlapping rectangles beside the screen orientation lock), and then choose “Stop Mirroring.”
Read on as we discuss how to turn off or disable AirPlay on the iPad in more detail.
How AirPlay Works
AirPlay works in two different ways.
If you use Apple AirPort Express as the wireless router, you’ll be able to connect all your Apple devices without any additional setup or equipment.
Meanwhile, AirPlay-compatible devices can recognize each other if they’re all on the same WiFi. So if your devices are connected to the same network, they’ll be able to communicate through AirPlay. This way, your iPad will be able to detect your Apple devices, including AirPlay-enabled speakers and Apple TV.
How To Turn Off AirPlay on iPad
There are two ways to turn off AirPlay on the iPad, depending on what you’re using it for.
For Streaming
Turning AirPlay off is very simple if you’re just using it to stream videos from an app on your iPad like YouTube. All you need to do is open up the app, tap on the AirPlay icon, and select “Turn off AirPlay” from the options.
For Mirroring
Turning off AirPlay if you’re using it to mirror your device is a little different and not too intuitive. To stop mirroring and turn off AirPlay, you need to open the Control Center.
If you have a more recent version of the iOS (iOS 12 or later), then you need to swipe down from the top right corner of your iPad screen to open the Control Center. Meanwhile, if you have an older iOS version, you need to drag your finger from the bottom of the iPad screen to bring up the Control Center.
Here, tap either on the screen mirroring widget (the two rectangles beside the screen orientation lock) or the music widget (on top of the brightness & volume bars). Next, tap on “Stop AirPlay” or “Stop Mirroring.”
How To Completely Disable AirPlay
Sometimes, you can accidentally tap on the AirPlay icon and land in some embarrassing situations where the TV in the lounge starts playing the video you’re watching while you’re sitting in your room. To prevent that from happening, you can disable AirPlay. To do that, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to “Settings” on your iPad.
- Go to “General.”
- Choose “AirPlay & Handoff.”
- Tap on “Automatically AirPlay to TVs.”
- You can set it to “Never” if you don’t want your AirPlay to automatically stream the media on a TV.
- You can also go back to the previous screen and turn off “Handoff” and “Transfer to HomePod.”
Summary
While AirPlay can be a handy feature, it’s not very obvious how you can turn it off once you’re done using it. But you now know what to do. Simply follow the steps above, and in just a few seconds, you’ll be able to turn off AirPlay on your iPad.
Frequently Asked Questions
AirPlay mirroring allows you to share your device’s screen (like the iPhone or iPad) to a bigger screen like your TV. So, for instance, you can cast or share a movie from your iPad to your TV.
It’s impossible to uninstall or remove AirPlay; the most you can do is just turn it off. To do so, open up the Control Center, tap on the screen mirroring icon, and then choose “Stop Mirroring.”
You can change the settings for an AirPlay device using Apple’s Home app. This app allows you to enable and disable AirPlay, change device names, limit access to AirPlay, allow others to case their screen on your smart TV or Apple TV, assign a particular device to a specific room, etc.
You can find the AirPlay button in any app you use for casting media like YouTube. This button looks like a rectangle with an arrow pointing upwards and is usually present at the bottom of the screen.
