IOS screen mirroring via USB to a Windows PC

airplayiosmirroringscreen

I want to mirror the screen of an iOS device to a a Windows PC. I only found solutions which either use a VGA-adapter or AirPlay. Because AirPlay uses WiFi I seek for a more stable and independent solution. I stumbled on iTools but it seems it isn't developed anymore. It used a USB connection for showing the screen.

The only things which would suit my needs are either using a VGA/HDMI-adapter or using iOS 8 with Ad-Hoc WiFi and AirPlay. But then I would adapters for Lightning and Dock-Connector. On the other side it won't work for iOS 7 if I use the AirPlay method.

So is there any software which can mirror the screen via USB onto a Windows PC?

Best Answer

The HDMI or VGA adapter that can be purchased from Apple allows mirroring to an external monitor, projector or other display that allows video IN. Does your PC allow video in via HDMI? (I'm not aware of any that do, most are video OUT) There is a 3rd party application called Duet that allows your iOS device to be used as an external or second monitor via USB but I think that is the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish based on your question. The screenshot shows Duet for Mac but there is a PC version as well.

From the Apple documentation regarding cable:

Use the Lightning to VGA Adapter with your iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation) with Lightning connector. The Lightning to VGA Adapter supports mirroring of what is displayed on your device screen including apps, presentations, websites, slideshows, and more — to your VGA-equipped TV, display, projector or other compatible display in up to 1080p HD. It also outputs video content - movies, TV shows, captured video- to your big screen in up to 1080p HD. Simply attach your Lightning to VGA Adapter to the Lightning connector on your device and then to your TV or projector via a VGA cable (sold separately).

Apple Store Link

Duet:

UPDATE: This may or may not be useful, but this article mentions a method that may suit your needs. From the article:

Apowersoft Phone Manager
It is completely compatible with iOS and Android operation system. To learn how to display iPad on computer, get started with the following steps.
Download this tool and connect iPad to computer through USB cable.

Related Solutions

Does AirPlay mirroring have any restrictions

There are restrictions on Airplay in Mountain Lion. It has to do with your video card that comes on the machines that you are using.

Your video card has to be powerful enough to do all the heavy lifting of streaming so that your CPU is unhindered and therefor you can smoothly still use your machine.

This question and answer should help you out and explain things and find an alternative, such as AirParrot.

Here is an Apple Support Article on the subject, listing the restrictions and giving more information on how Airplay Mirroring works.

Here is the excert from the article showing the compatible computers:

iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)

As for a Mac Pro, they are not listed as a compatible model that supports Airplay Mirroring, as discussed in this article here.

You can still connect a cable and mirror in that sense, that has not changed in ML. The mirroring feature of using a separate display is a completely different process than Airplay Mirroring.

I hope that this answer helps you out.

MacOS – Minimum requirements for mirroring Mac/PC in Apple TV

You can mirror your Mac's screen, Apple calls it AirPlay Mirroring. The section on the Apple TV page you mention actually refers to streaming your "photos, home videos, and music collection", which you can do via iTunes on a Mac or PC.

Requirements

Per Apple's support article on AirPlay Mirroring, to use it you need:

An Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation) with software update v5.0 or later
And one of these Macs, running OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion):
- iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
- Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)

Apple doesn't provide a means for Windows PCs to do AirPlay mirroring, but you might be able to find a third-party solution.

Networking

The Apple TV and the Mac need to be on the same network, one will not be automatically created, but you should be able to create a Wi-Fi network from your Mac and have the Apple TV join it if you don't have a network already set up.

Quality & Performance

The quality is not the same as if you just plugged your Mac in via HDMI, it transcodes your desktop to a video format the Apple TV can read (H.264), since sending uncompressed video would require more bandwidth than any home network could provide. Quality and performance can depend on your Mac and network speed. I haven't tested it thoroughly, but I suspect it wouldn't be appropriate for gaming, as there would be latency issues.