Did you know you can put whatever’s on your Android phone’s screen up on your TV? Whether it’s holiday photos or a funny video, you can share content from your phone for the whole room to see. And we’ll show you how to do it with our simple steps.
What is screen mirroring?
Screen mirroring lets you wirelessly share what’s on your phone, tablet, or laptop’s display onto another screen — like a TV or external monitor. It will show exactly what’s happening on the device you’ve mirrored from. So, if you’re playing a game or streaming a film on your phone, any movement or pauses will happen in real-time on the screen you’ve mirrored to.
This tech won’t flip what you see horizontally like an actual mirror. It’ll just replicate what’s on your device’s display to the TV or monitor you’ve mirrored to. It’s a useful feature for showing off content, like your pictures and videos. And can even come in handy at work for quickly sharing documents and presentations in meetings.
How to screen mirror your Android device
Screen mirroring usually needs some software on both the device you’re sending from and the TV you want to show the content on. How you do it will depend on whether you’ve got a smart TV or not, so let’s take a look:
Mirroring from an Android phone to a Smart TV
Most Android phones and TVs will have some sort of screen mirroring software built-in to make the process really easy. Here’s how to mirror to your smart TV:
Switch on your TV: Make sure your smart TV is powered on and not in standby.
Check your TV is connected to the internet: You’ll want to make sure it’s using the same Wi-Fi network as your Android phone.
Turn on screen mirroring on your phone: Open the notification panel and look for screen mirroring or something similar. Different versions of Android might use different terms.
Tap on the name of your TV: Your phone will search for available devices and show your TV’s model name in a list.
Let your phone and TV connect: Your phone should connect to your TV and start to mirror the screen automatically. Your TV might ask for a passcode to be typed in first.
When you’re done, just open the notification panel on your phone and tap screen mirroring again to turn it off.
Mirroring from an Android phone to a non-smart TV
To get your phone to connect wirelessly to a TV that can’t connect to the internet, you’ll need an accessory to help you. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using Google Chromecast. Just follow these steps to mirror your phone to your non-smart TV:
Set up your Google Chromecast with your TV: Make sure you set it up on the same Wi-Fi network that your phone is connected to.
Mirror to Google Chromecast: With Chromecast plugged in, your TV should work just like a smart TV. Use the same steps as above to mirror from your phone onto the big screen.
The great thing about a Chromecast is that it’s small enough to take with you anywhere. So if you’re going to visit one of your friends who always has the same channels playing, you can bring it with you and surprise them with something new.
FAQs
What’s the difference between screen mirroring and screen casting?
The big difference between screen casting and mirroring is the way the content is shown on your TV. When you’re casting, you can display the content you want (like a video) and then use your phone to do something else without the playback being interrupted. If you’re screen mirroring, anything you do on your device’s screen will be reflected in real-time on the TV you’ve connected to.
Where is the mirror button on my Android phone?
To mirror your Android phone's screen, swipe down from the top of the screen to bring up the Quick Access menu. Tap on 'SmartView', 'Screen mirror', 'Screen cast' or similar. Then select your TV from the list to start mirroring your screen.
Need more help?
We’ve got even more advice on setting up a smart TV. Or if you need more help choosing a new TV, our TV buying guide is a great place to start. We can also help you learn more Android tips and tricks — like how to screen record on Android and how to use Do Not Disturb on Android.
