Android: how to mirror the content of your mobile on your TV screen

Milos Bjelica/Getty Images

Your Android smartphone or tablet may have a suitably sized screen. But if you use it to watch videos, play games or work with other applications, you may want to have an even larger screen to improve the experience.

One of the ways to achieve this is to mirror your device on your TV. So, you control the action from your phone, but you fully enjoy the effect on your big screen TV.

There are several ways to mirror your device on your TV, depending on the characteristics and capabilities of your phone but also your television (especially if it is recent).

We are going to look at three different options, so that you can choose the one that suits you best.

Create a mirror between your Android phone and your TV: the three possible options

Use the mirror function of your TV s screen;

Many televisions have a built-in screen mirroring function. To do this, you need to go through the settings of your television in order to connect to an external device, usually via Bluetooth.

On the other hand, your Android phone may have a specific setting to connect to a supported TV. On Samsung phones, this parameter is called Smart View. In this case, mirroring a Samsung phone to a Samsung TV is the most compatible option.

On other Android phones, this setting has a different name. The best way to find it is to swipe down from the top of the screen to display the quick settings menu and search for the option of broadcasting or from screen sharing appropriate.

Place your Android device near your TV, then tap the Smart View setting on a Samsung phone or a similar setting on another phone. You will go through a few configuration screens, then you will see a list of nearby TVs that support the mirroring function. Press the TV to which you want to connect, then select the start or connect button to start this mirroring.

Mirror your Samsung phone with Smart View.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Look for the mirroring command.

Depending on the smartphone, a mirroring display command should appear on the screen. On a Samsung smartphone, for example, Smart View displays a command that you can press to display a menu.

From this menu, you can stream a specific application in full screen, pause Smart View, adjust the screen brightness, take a selfie video or log out.

Control Smart View.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Open the application that you want to mirror.

Open the application that you want to see and use on your TV. Position your phone in portrait or landscape mode.

Open the application that you want to mirror. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Watch your TV show the screen of your Android device

Your TV will then display the screen of your Android device. When you are done, press the mirroring command to display the menu, then log out.

Display your phone screen on your TV. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Using a TV or Chromecast device

If you have a Google TV with Chromecast integrated, you can directly mirror your Android device. If you have another type of TELEVISION, you can always use Chromecast, but you will have to buy a Chromecast adapter (large USB stick format), which costs €40 for the 1080p HD version and €70 for the 4K version.

In this case, connect the Chromecast device to your TV via the HDMI connection. On your Android smartphone, swipe down from the top of the screen and find and press the “Cast” button or equivalent in the quick settings menu. The name of the TV on which the Chromecast device is located should be displayed on the screen. Press this name, then the start broadcast button. then go to the application or on the screen of your smartphone that you want to mirror.

Open the application that you want to mirror. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

The screen should then be displayed on your TV. You can use your smartphone in portrait or landscape mode.

View your phone screen on your TV. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

When you are done, go back to the Quick Settings area of your phone, press the “Cast” button or equivalent to log out.

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Use an adapter and a cable

If you are unable to mirror your smartphone to your TV via a wireless option, you are still left with the wired approach. To do this, you will need an HDMI cable and an HDMI/ USB-C adapter or, better, an HDMI / USB-C cable. After connecting the smartphone to the HDMI port of the TV, the screen of your of the first will automatically be displayed on the second.