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How to Screen Mirror or Cast Android phone on the TV

Screen mirroring is also known as screen casting and screen sharing, which is a simple way to replicate the phone, tablet, laptop, or PC screen on a TV screen. This feature can be used anywhere, including in an office setting for showing presentations or at home to watch movies on the big TV screen.

There are two common ways for screen mirroring from Android phones or other devices to a supported smart TV. The first way for mirroring a screen is through a wired connection that offers a straightforward and reliable solution. Due to using a wired connection, the device gets limited by being tied up to the TV. Another way for screen mirroring is by using a wireless connection and such devices eliminate the need for cables.

Keep in mind, whenever you mirror your phone’s screen, everything that appears on your phone and tablet’s screen, all those things will also show on your smart TV. It means whatever the contents, alerts, and notifications messages appear on the phone’s screen will be broadcast over the TV screen.

How Screen Mirror Works

There are two different ways through which you can cast your phone or laptop screen on smart TV. Either by using a wired screen mirror or by wireless screen mirror.

1. Wired Screen Mirror

Establishing a wired screen mirroring involves the use of an HDMI cable that helps to connect your Android phone (device) to your smart TV. If your laptop or computer offers an HDMI port, the steps of screencasting become very simple. Simply you have to connect one end of the HDMI adapter to your laptop and the other end to your smart TV HDMI port. Since laptops are becoming more compact and thinner, some laptops may not facilitate an HDMI port. You may not find an appropriate HDMI adapter cable that works with your laptop in such a case. So before buying the necessary adapters and cable for casting, you should check your device specifications.

2. Wireless Screen Mirror

The wireless screen mirroring also gives the same output as a wired connection. The only difference between using a wireless screen mirror is that you will be free from cable to connect your smartphone to your smart TV. Nowadays, many smartphones come with built-in wireless devices technology, such as Miracast. You only require a compatible and supported smart TV or a wireless display adapter that can plug into a TV. Any one of these two ways will receive a wireless signal from your mobile device.

Wireless Screen Mirroring Devices

Miracast is a wireless device that is particularly designed for sharing a mobile screen on a smart TV. It eliminates the requirement of an HDMI cable that is used to connect one device to another device. Some of the latest Android and Windows devices come with pre-installed Miracast, which are ready to use.

To see whether your device supports the Miracast feature or not, look at the display settings or application with any of the following terms: screencast, screen mirroring, cast screen, wireless mirroring, screen sharing, smart view, etc.

Devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops containing Miracast features can share their screen over smart TV having built-in Miracast. There is even an alternate way, and you can buy a wireless display adapter that offers Miracast and plugs it into the HDMI port on your TV. A device, ScreenBeam Mini2, is a wireless display adapter that is compatible with Android version 4.2 and above, Windows 8.1+/10, and laptops, tablets, and smartphones having Miracast.

Cast your Android screen using the Google Home app

One of the most authentic and relevant ways for mirroring your Android smartphone’s screen is using the Google Home app. If you are already using any one of Google’s smart speakers, or Chromecast devices, you have probably already installed it. If you don’t have one already, you can download the Google Home app from the play store. After downloading and installing the Home app, you have to do the following task to cast your Android screen:

1. Launch the Google Home app and select the Chromecast device which you want to screen cast (mirror).
   
2. Click on the Cast my Screen button present at the bottom of the device screen.
   
3. Accept the prompt message (by clicking Cast screen) that reminds you that your phone’s or tablet’s screen and audio are cast over the TV, you see another prompt that warns you when your device is not optimized.
   

To stop device screen mirroring on TV, click on the Stop mirroring button in the Home app.

There is another easier way, but it depends on your phone

Apart from the Google Home app, there are many other easy options for screen casting. One such way is by using the Casting shortcut from the quick settings panel.

1. Swipe down from the top of your Android screen to access the device Quick Settings screen.
2. Inside the Quick Settings panel, look for and select a button named with Screen cast.
   
3. Click on the Screen cast button shows the list of Chromecast devices which are connected to your Wi-Fi network. Select one of the Chromecast devices connected to your TV. After a few seconds, you will see your Android phone’s screen will display on your connected TV.
   
4. If you want to stop casting your phone screen, follow the same steps and select the Disconnect when prompted.

If the Screen cast label is not showing in the Quick Settings panel, click on the pencil icon to edit the options. From the list of available options, look for the Screen cast button and add it on the Quick Settings panel.

If your device doesn’t include a screencast button in the settings panel, don’t worry about it. You can use an alternate option, the Google Home app (discussed above), to cast the device screen.

Cast Android Screen with Chromecast

If you have a smart TV with built-in Chromecast support or a Chromecast dongle, you have to confirm that the app you want to watch on smart TV supports screen casting. If it has, you can cast your phone screen and watch its content on TV with only a few clicks.

Some of the apps that supported casting include Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and Google Photos. However, most of them already come and set up with your Android TV or Chromecast with Google TV.

To mirror your Android phone to your TV, open a media app that supports screen-casting, such as Netflix, YouTube, etc. and click on the cast screen icon that appears on the right side of the screen. To access the Chromecast, follow the below-mentioned steps.

1. Visit Google Play Store and download a screen Mirroring app on your Android phone.
2. Connect your Android phone and smart TV under the Wi-Fi network.
3. Launch the Screen Mirroring app from your phone. Now, on your TV, enable the Miracast Display.
4. Now, tap on the blue button on your phone to start screen mirroring your Android device to the TV. Select the TV, and it automatically starts mirroring your phone screen.
5. Go to any media app such as YouTube or Netflix and start a movie in the full-screen view. Click on CAST to begin mirroring.

Screen mirroring and projecting to your PC

If you are using a Windows 10 PC and want to connect some of your phone’s apps and display its content to a PC screen, you have to consider mirroring the phone’s screen or projecting it into your PC. For doing this, you will need a device that supports Miracast. Below are the steps to mirror another device’s screen to your PC.

1. Tab on Start (Windows) key, find Settings, and click on it.
2. Now, from the list of Settings options, click on System.
   
3. Click on the Projecting to this PC option available on the left pane of the screen.
4. Under the section, add the “Wireless Display” optional feature to project this PC; click on the Optional features.
   
5. Tap on the Add a feature option and then enter “wireless display” in the search bar.
   
6. Checkmark, the Wireless Display from the results, then select Install.
   
7. When the application “Wireless Display” gets installed, manage your projecting preferences on the Projecting to this PC page in Settings.
8. PC on which you want to project another device’s screen, enter the “Connect app” in the search bar and launch the Connect app.
9. Go to Screen Mirroring Settings on the device you are projecting from, and select your computer (laptop) to connect. If you are projecting it from a PC, select the Windows key + K and select the PC you want to connect to.

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