How to Cast Your Phone to Your TV: Chromecast, AirPlay and Screen Mirroring Explained
Casting puts your phone’s videos, photos and apps onto the TV, and it is simpler than it sounds once you know which method your TV supports. Most modern TVs support at least one of the three main routes: Chromecast, AirPlay, or screen mirroring. This guide covers all three, so you can pick the one that fits your phone and your TV.
Step 1: Work out what your TV supports
Start with the TV, not the phone. If you have a Google TV, an Android TV, or a TV with Chromecast built in, you can cast from both iPhone and Android apps that show the cast icon. If you have an Apple TV, or a smart TV from Samsung, LG or Sony made in recent years, it probably supports AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad. Many Samsung and Android TVs also support screen mirroring from Android phones.
Check the TV’s settings menu for the words Chromecast, AirPlay, or Screen Mirroring. If none of those appear, a plug-in streaming stick, such as a Chromecast or a Fire TV Stick, will add casting to almost any TV with a spare HDMI port. That is often the simplest fix for an older TV.
One rule applies to every method: your phone and your TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. A phone on mobile data, or on a guest network while the TV sits on the main network, will not find the TV. If casting fails, this is the first thing to check.
Step 2: Cast with Chromecast
Chromecast is the most flexible option because it works from both iPhone and Android. Open an app that supports casting, such as YouTube, Netflix, BBC iPlayer or Spotify, and look for the cast icon, a small rectangle with curved lines in one corner. Tap it, choose your TV from the list, and the video will start playing on the big screen.
With Chromecast, the TV streams the video directly from the internet, not from your phone. That means you can keep using your phone for other things, take a call, or lock the screen, and playback carries on. Your phone acts as a remote.
If your TV does not appear in the list, check that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, restart the TV, and make sure the app is up to date. In most recent versions of these apps, the cast icon sits near the top of the screen while a video is playing. If it is missing entirely, that particular app may not support casting, in which case screen mirroring is the fallback.
Step 3: Use AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad
AirPlay is Apple’s version, and it works with Apple TV and with many smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and others. On your iPhone or iPad, open Control Centre by swiping down from the top right corner, tap Screen Mirroring, and choose your TV. Everything on your phone screen then appears on the TV.
You can also AirPlay a single video instead of your whole screen. In a supported app, tap the AirPlay icon, which looks like a rectangle with a triangle underneath, and pick your TV. This keeps your notifications and messages off the big screen, which is worth doing if other people are watching.
If your TV asks for an AirPlay code, it will show a four-digit number on screen. Type it into your phone when prompted. This is a one-time pairing step, and it stops another phone from hijacking your TV.
Step 4: Mirror an Android screen
Android phones mirror their screens in a few different ways, and the name changes by brand. Samsung calls it Smart View, other brands call it Cast, Screen Mirroring, or Wireless Display. Swipe down to open Quick Settings, look for one of those tiles, and tap it to see nearby TVs and devices.
Screen mirroring shows your entire phone screen on the TV, exactly as you see it. That makes it ideal for photos, presentations, and apps that do not support casting. The trade-off is that notifications appear on the TV too, so turn on Do Not Disturb before mirroring if you are showing photos to a room full of people.
If your TV does not show up, both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network, and some TVs need screen mirroring switched on in their settings first. Restarting both devices fixes most discovery problems.
Step 5: The wired fallback and common fixes
When wireless casting refuses to work, a cable still will. An HDMI adapter for your phone, USB-C to HDMI on most Android phones, or Lightning to HDMI on older iPhones, plugs straight into the TV and mirrors the screen with no Wi-Fi involved. It is less elegant, but it is reliable, and it is a good option for a TV in a holiday let or a hotel where the Wi-Fi is locked down.
For the usual wireless problems, work through this short checklist. First, confirm both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Second, restart the TV and the phone. Third, update the app and the TV’s software. Fourth, move closer to the router if the video stutters. Fifth, check that a VPN on your phone is switched off, since it can hide your phone from the TV.
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