Your Android smartphone might have a decent sized screen. But if you use it to watch videos, play games, or work with other apps, you’d probably like a much bigger screen to enhance your experience.
One of the ways to do this is to mirror your Android device to your TV.
So you control the action from your phone, while enjoying the full effect of the big screen display.
There are several ways to mirror your smartphone screen to your TV screen, depending on the features and capabilities of each device.
Here we offer three methods, so you can choose the one that suits you best.
1. Use your TV’s screen mirroring function
Many televisions have a built-in screen mirroring feature. Your Android phone itself may have a specific setting to connect to supported TV. On Samsung phones, this is called Smart View.
In this case, mirroring Samsung mobile to Samsung TV is the easiest solution. On other Android phones, this setting has a different name. The best way to find it is to bring up the quick settings menu and search for the appropriate casting or screen sharing option.
Place your Android device near your TV, then tap the Smart View setting on a Samsung smartphone or a similar setting on another phone. You’ll go through a few setup screens, then you’ll see a list of nearby TVs that support screen sharing. Simply tap on the TV you want to connect to to cast your mobile screen to it.
Mirror your Samsung phone with Smart View. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Find the mirror command
Depending on the smartphone, a mirroring command should appear on the screen. On a Samsung phone, for example, Smart View shows a command that you tap to bring up a menu.
From this menu, you can stream a specific app in full screen, pause Smart View, dim the screen, take a video selfie, or log out.
Control Smart View. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Open the application to cast
Open the app you want displayed on your TV. You can orient your phone in portrait or landscape mode.
Open the app you want to mirror. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
When you’re done, tap the mirroring control to bring up the menu, then sign out.
View your phone screen on your TV. Screenshot by Lance Whitney.
2. Use a TV or Chromecast device
If you have a Google TV with Chromecast built-in, you can directly mirror your Android device. If you have another type of television, you can always use a Chromecast, this small device to cast images in Full HD 1080p or 4K.
So assuming you’re not using Google TV, connect the Chromecast to your TV via the HDMI connection. Download and install the Google Home app on your Android mobile if you haven’t already.
Open the app and go through the intro screens. On the screen Hometap the icon + in the upper left corner. On the next screen, select the option Create a house. Name the fireplace and press Continue.
Create a new Google home. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Enter your home address if desired. On your new home screen, tap the icon + to add your Chromecast device. On the next screen, tap on the option Configure a device. In the Set up device screen, tap the option New device. Choose your home and press Following.
Add a new device. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
In the screen Allow nearby devicesPress on Following. Once the application has found your Chromecast device, validate. Your Android device and TV both show the same code. Confirm the code on your phone. Then accept the legal conditions. Indicate the location of the device in your house and press Following. Customize the room name if desired. Press on Continue.
Confirm the code. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
On the next screen, select your home Wi-Fi network, then enter the Wi-Fi password. The app and your Chromecast device should then connect to your network. Complete the setup and let any updates install on your Chromecast. Your Chromecast device may also restart.
Select your network. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
On the main Google Home app screen, tap your device name. At the bottom of the screen, tap the option Cast my screen. A message will appear explaining how to mirror your device. Tap the option Cast my screen.
Cast your screen. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Go to the app or your phone screen that you want to mirror.
Open the app you want to mirror. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Again, you can use your phone in portrait or landscape mode.
When you’re done, return to the Google Home app and press the button to Stop screen mirroring.
View your phone screen on your TV. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
3. Use an adapter and cable
If you can’t mirror your phone to your TV via a wireless option, there’s always the wired approach. For this you will need an HDMI cable and a USB-C to HDMI adapter.
Plug the USB-C end into your phone, then connect an HDMI cable between the adapter and your TV. There are also USB-C to HDMI cables that are long enough to connect the smartphone to. Your Android phone screen will automatically appear on your TV.
Use a cable and an adapter. Screenshot by Lance Whitney
Source: “ZDNet.com”