If you’re like most people, you probably use your Android phone as your primary screen for entertainment and communication. But what if you want to watch a movie or show on your big screen TV? There are a few ways to do it, but the easiest is to mirror your phone’s display on your TV. Here’s how:
- Open the “Settings” app on your Android phone and select “Display.”
- Under “Screen Display,” select “Mirroring.”
- If you have an HDMI cable, plug it into the TV and the Android phone, then switch the TVs to the same input. If you don’t have an HDMI cable, connect your Android phone to the TV using a USB cable.
- On the Android phone, tap “Mirror” under “Screen Display.” The display will now show up on the TV screen. ..
Before we get started, it should be mentioned that mirroring your screen might not be the best method to share content on a TV. Many video and photo apps allow you to “cast” to a Chromecast-enabled device. This will be a much nicer experience than mirroring your screen.
For all of those other situations, mirroring your screen is a handy trick to know. There are a few things that you’ll need:
An Android phone or tablet running Android 5. 0 or later. An Android TV or Chromecast-enabled device.
RELATED: What’s the Difference Between Chromecast and Android TV?
We’ll start with the easiest method, which isn’t available on all devices. On your Android phone or tablet, swipe down from the top of the screen once and then a second time to expand the Quick Settings toggles.
Find the toggle labeled “Screen Cast” and tap it.
This will bring up a list of devices that you can mirror your screen to. Select the one that you want.
A message will explain that all of the information visible on your screen will be available to the service. Tap “Start Now” if you agree.
You will now see your screen on the receiving device.
If you don’t have the “Screen Cast” toggle in the Quick Settings, you will need to mirror your screen with the Google Home app. Open the app on your Android phone or tablet and select the device that you want to mirror your screen to.
At the bottom of the app, tap “Cast My Screen.”
You’ll see a message explaining what mirroring does. Tap “Cast Screen” to proceed.
Lastly, another message will explain that all of the information visible on your screen will be available to the service. Tap “Start Now” if you agree.
You will now see your screen on the receiving device.
To stop casting your screen, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap “Disconnect” on the cast notification.
That’s all there is to it. Screen mirroring is handy for those times when you want to show something on your phone, but it doesn’t work with traditional Google Cast features.
