Do you have photos of your children or holidays that you want to share with your friends? How about spicing up the party with some YouTube videos? Your phone can do many things for you, and displaying its contents on the TV screen is a great function that you can take advantage of if you have a mobile device full of things that you would like to share.
This article will show you step by step on how to mirror your phone screen to a TV. There are options for Android, iOS, Windows, and even for game consoles with support for 4K, wireless or wired. Know all the possibilities below.
Table of Contents
A. Mirror Cast Devices
1. Apple TV
With a wide selection of apps, an intuitive touchscreen remote, and direct access to iTunes (no other streamer can do that), both the $200 Apple TV and the $200 Apple TV 4K are an excellent option who love the Apple ecosystem.
But what makes it ideal for our purposes is AirPlay. Apple’s proprietary suite of wireless protocols is a brilliant and easy way to wirelessly mirror video, audio, and almost any other content from your iOS device, to any display with an HDMI input.
To achieve this, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and click on the Airplay symbol in the quick menu (which looks like a square with a triangle through it). Experienced users can find all kinds of cool ways to use this box, such as a media center or a smart home.
Even if an iPhone is your only option, Apple TV makes perfect sense as the mirroring device of choice. As if that were not enough, AirPlay 2 offers more functionality, although it does not have new mirroring functions.
2. Roku TV
The diverse collection of streaming devices that Roku offers has been characterized as one of the best on the market in our reviews. But what makes it different from the rest is its selection of applications (which has more than 1000) and its intuitive interface.
Better yet, while the Roku family (which includes multiple editions and price tiers) was long devoid of any accurate native mirroring, the company updated its devices, allowing its newer models to offer direct screen mirroring for Android and Windows devices.
This service is available for Android devices running 4.2 or higher, and Windows devices running 8.1 or higher. According to Roku, your “hardware should support screen mirroring,” although most devices do this in one way or another.
For Android devices, Roku notes that there are many terms used for mirroring, including Smart View, Quick Connect, SmartShare, AllShare Cast, Wireless Display, HTC Connect, Screen Casting, and Cast. Once you’ve identified the correct terminology, you can enable mirroring from the settings menu under the “network” or “display” headings.
For Windows 10 devices, open Action Center, select Project, connect to a wireless display option, and choose the Roku device on your network.
While iOS devices cannot natively mirror to Roku, they can still display personal photos, videos, and music on the Roku with the Play on Roku feature in the app. Additionally, some popular apps allow you to stream content to your TV through Roku, including Video & TV Cast, and AllCast.
Third-party apps may take longer to set up, as platforms require you to download apps on your target device and your iOS device.
For AllCast, you will need to upgrade to the $5 version (otherwise, you will be limited to a few minutes of video playback). These apps also work with Roku TVs, like the excellent TCL P-Series TVs and other TCL models.
3. Amazon Fire TV
Amazon’s Fire TV made its debut in April 2014, with newer (and more powerful) versions in the years after. The latest is Fire TV Cube, which offers a host of features, including the ability to control most of your home theater equipment with just your voice. Like other newer Fire TV devices, the Fire TV Cube also has support for 4K, HDR, and Alexa.
In the history of Fire TV, Amazon added native mirroring for Android devices through Miracast. However, at first, users had to have their device connected to their Amazon account for it to work. But thanks to an update, any user with a compatible device can get in on the fun.
Enabled devices include Android devices running 4.2 Jelly Bean or higher, Amazon’s Fire HDX tablets, and Fire Phone (if anyone still has one).
Older Fire TVs do not support mirroring. To enable mirroring, head to Settings > Display and Sounds > Turn on Screen Mirroring. Then connect your desired device from your Android phone or tablet.
Like the Roku, iOS users will find AllCast a viable option for streaming videos, photos, and other media to the Fire TV from outside the Android mob. Another (paid) app to try is Reflector 3, which also works with iOS devices.
B. Mirror Cast Dongles
1. Chromecast and Chromecast Ultra
Since its debut in 2013, Chromecast has become the go-to device for most affordable wireless streaming. For those with 4K UHD TVs, Chromecast Ultra offers 4K streaming in a tiny format.
But what makes Chromecast unique is its ability to bypass your device’s internal resources, thanks to its “cast” method of transmission, which allows you to start playback on your device.
Just click the icon to cast and let the Chromecast pick it up from there, giving your phone or tablet a rest and saving battery life.
Aside from casting the streaming apps, Chromecast and Chromecast Ultra also feature mirroring to an Android smartphone or tablet, including games, photos, videos, and more.
The options combine to create a host of great apps. As of now, Android devices running Android 4.4.2+ offer Chromecast mirroring; some are “optimized,” while others may not work as well.
Make sure your Google Home app is up to date. As a bonus, Chromecast can also display anything from the Chrome browser on a Mac or PC by simply clicking the button to cast in the corner of your browser, but the performance quality varies.
If you’re an iOS user, don’t worry – Chromecast mirroring doesn’t support content uploaded to your device. Still, Chromecasts are great for streaming content from tons of popular apps, like YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and Google.
Play Movies & TV. To make it work, launch the playback in the app of your choice and look for the launch icon. However, you mustn’t forget that the first step is to download the Google Home application.
2. Miracast
Miracast is a Wi-Fi certified high definition wireless protocol similar to AirPlay, except that it does not require a Wi-Fi network.
Instead, it sets up its private broadcast network through a protocol with Android 4.0 called Wi-Fi Direct. The network is accessible from other local devices but is safe from any Internet intruder out of your reach.
Miracast is versatile and offers a host of mirroring capabilities. While it works with Android devices, it is especially useful for mirroring desktop computers.
Like AirPlay, your Achilles heel relies on your device’s internal resources, which tie it down and drain your battery. Anyway, if Android (and especially PC) mirroring is of your interest, you should know that Miracast-compatible devices may be worth checking out.
Some options with a solid reputation include the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter and the Belkin Miracast Video Adapter. Miracast is also available for use with Kindle Fire HD through some devices, including the popular Netgear Push2TV.
C. Game Consoles
1. Xbox One S, Xbox One X
Screen mirroring on the Xbox One can be a complete success… or a disaster if you use unreliable applications. The Xbox does not have any native mirroring capabilities, so you will have to rely on third-party solutions, such as the AllCast above or AirServer.
Neither app is free (AirServer’s Xbox app costs $20), and users worldwide have had mixed results. The Xbox mobile app offers a lot of cool features, but mirroring isn’t among them.
Although mirroring is limited, the best way to stream videos from your phone to your console is with Plex.
Plex is available on the Xbox Store, and you need a quick search to find it. You’ll need to download the Plex app on your Android or iOS phone and then sign up for a Plex account if you haven’t already.
To get the most out of the app, you will need to invest in a paid subscription and also money in a one-time activation fee for your device.
If you’re only using Plex to stream saved files directly to your phone or tablet (rather than storing them on a Plex server), you can choose to stay in trial mode.
Plex is a fantastic solution for those with extensive digital libraries, but who prefer streaming services to access them directly from the Xbox.
2. PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro
Unfortunately, none of Sony’s game consoles, including the PS3, PS4, or PS4 Pro, have native mirroring features included. And although there is an official application for PlayStation smartphones, it only allows you to control your PS4 and browse the PlayStation network remotely.
Unfortunately, none of Sony’s game consoles, including the PS3, PS4, or PS4 Pro, have native mirroring features included. And although there is an official application for PlayStation smartphones, it only allows you to control your PS4 and browse the PlayStation network remotely.
D. Televisions
Many of the newer televisions have mobile mirroring built-in. If you have a new TV and noticed an acronym on one of the HDMI inputs labeled MHL, you need to connect your Android phone to the TV with the cable.
MHL stands for “High Definition Mobile Link” and allows you to mirror most content directly to your screen through an HDMI input. All you need is a cable (make sure it works with your phone’s output) that converts your smartphone connection to an HDMI connection.
The system will also wake up and charge your device while it’s connected, but we haven’t seen many great cable reviews in our search, so you’ll need to proceed at your own monetary risk.
Wireless mirroring is much more useful for the couch potato, and that ability comes with some of the newer TV models. For some time, most of the available built-in mirroring options were proprietary to specific companies, such as Samsung’s AllShare system, which only works with certain Samsung Galaxy phones.
However, this is changing thanks in part to the addition of AirPlay 2, Apple’s long- patented video, picture, and audio protocol, which is implemented in a wide range of newer (and some older) TVs. Samsung, Vizio, LG, and Sony in 2019.
Other options are also available. For example, many Roku TVs perform the same as set-top boxes when it comes to mirroring.