How to connect your phone to your TV

Ten years ago, the idea of connecting your phone to a television seemed impossible, much less necessary. Now, maybe you want to watch last night’s shaky concert footage on your big screen, or you’re just curious to see what Candy Crush looks like in 55” 4K. Whatever the reason may be, you want to know how to connect your phone to your TV. Fortunately, it’s a pretty simple procedure, as long as your phone and TV both support it. Keep reading to find out how to connect your phone to your TV in minutes. Then you can read our other blogs on your TV together as a family.

Before connecting a phone to a TV

In order to connect your phone to your TV, you’ll need to make sure of a couple things first:

1. Make sure your phone and TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network
2. Make sure your TV supports phone casting and/or mirroring (check your TV’s user manual or search the model online for confirmation)

Casting vs mirroring: what’s the difference?

You’ve likely heard both of these terms when it comes to watching content from your phone on your television. So what’s the difference between casting and mirroring? Casting is when you broadcast online content that you’re streaming through apps like Netflix & YouTube to your TV, but nothing else. You can still check your text messages, scroll Facebook and do other things on your phone without interrupting the content being cast to your TV. Mirroring, however, replicates whatever is happening on your phone screen to your TV. So if you leave a video to check your email, your email appears on your TV. Any push notifications you get will pop up too, so it’s best to enable Do Not Disturb mode if you’re mirroring your phone.

How to connect iPhone to your TV

If your TV supports the AppleTV app, it will also support AirPlay, which allows you to cast or mirror your phone, depending on the content you’re watching. If your TV doesn’t support AirPlay, you’ll have to find an alternative to connect your phone.

How to cast from iPhone to a TV

1. Open the app you wish to stream content from
2. Find the AirPlay icon, which should look like two overlapping rectangles, and tap it
3. Select your TV from the menu that appears

How to mirror iPhone to a TV

1. Go into your iPhone’s Control Center
2. Tap the AirPlay icon to bring up the Screen Mirroring menu
3. Select your TV

How to connect an Android phone to your TV

Android phones are powered by Google, just like Chromecast, so Android phones are most compatible with smart TVs that have Chromecast built-in, or TVs that have a Chromecast device connected to them. Also, Samsung Android phones are especially easy to connect to Samsung TVs.

How to cast an Android phone to a TV

1. Open the app you wish to stream content from
2. Find the Cast icon, which looks like a rectangle with a Wi-Fi signal in the corner, and tap it
3. Select your TV from the menu that appears

How to cast a Samsung Android phone to a TV

1. Open the SmartThings app and select the plus sign
2. Select “Add device” and then add your TV under “Samsung devices”
3. Now find your TV under the Devices menu and select it
4. Tap the three dots and select “Mirror Screen (Smart View)”

Note: These steps may vary slightly from phone to phone, so we recommend checking your model’s user manual for exact steps. 

Screen mirroring to a TV with an Android phone

1. Open the Google Home app
2. Tap the TV you want to connect to
3. Select “Cast my screen”

How to cast a phone to a TV using a streaming media player

Using another piece of equipment to stream content on your TV? You should be able to connect your phone through that too. 

1. Make sure Screen Mirroring is enabled on your streaming device
   1. Go to your device’s settings
   2. Look for Systems (menus may vary by device)
   3. Turn on Screen Mirroring if it isn’t on already
2. Confirm that the streaming app you want to cast (i.e. Netflix, YouTube) is installed on your streaming device
3. Open the streaming app on your phone and go to the content you wish to stream
4. Tap the Cast icon inside the app and select the streaming media player that is connected to your TV from the menu that appears

You’re officially a cast master

And just like that, you know how to connect your phone to your TV in just a few taps. Told you it’d be easy. Now you can confidently look yourself in the mirror and say “I know how to mirror too. Checkmate.” Or…you can make better use of your time by browsing our other blogs that will teach you more iPhone hacks, Android hacks or anything else you might be curious about in regards to your phone. And while you’re here, you can also learn why Mint Mobile is the best wireless option around. In case you want to look yourself in the mirror and say “Great work switching to Mint, me. You’re so much happier now.”