How to connect your phone to your TV

Modern Smart TVs become for the user a guide to the world of all pleasures at once: such a device can be connected to the Internet and turned into a home theater, watch your favorite TV shows, videos from YouTube on the big screen, look at photos from Google Drive and choose tickets together with a large company for the next vacation. The good news is that all the same can be done if there is one smartphone from smart technology at home, and the available TV boasts a screen diagonal, but not a filling.

Connection options

Our tips on how to connect your phone to a TV will help you make friends with each other. It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone or an Android smartphone. We offer detailed step-by-step instructions for connecting via a USB cable, HDMI or using wireless networks and software pairing.

Cable connection

USB connection

So, you have returned from vacation, your best friends have gathered at the table with goodies brought from the trip, and you want to share your impressions and photos with them as soon as possible, and you need to show each of them in great detail. Here are just a photo – in the phone, and a large-screen TV – on the wall. The easiest option is to connect your phone to your TV using a USB cable. In this case, the smartphone will turn into a flash drive, that is, it will be possible to run files only through the USB interface of the TV itself.

For such a connection, you will need: a mobile phone with the Android operating system, a cord (for example, from charging), and the TV itself with a working USB input – most modern models have it.

1. Wire TV and smartphone. Turn on the TV.

2. On the smartphone screen, in the notification window that appears, select the item “Use as a storage device (as USB)”.

3. From the TV remote in the list of sources, select – USB (most often the Source button allows you to do this).

4. Use the arrows on the remote control to select the desired folders and open files. Thus, you can view image files, as well as run a movie previously downloaded to a USB flash drive.

What to do if the TV does not see a smartphone connected via USB?

Check the cable is good. Also, the wires that come with chargers can only be used for charging. Make sure you are using the cable that came with your phone to connect your device to your computer.

If the cable is working, check that you have selected the desired item on the smartphone screen. Try disconnecting it and connecting it to the TV again by selecting the correct item (not “Charging only”).

What can be done?

Use your smartphone as a flash drive.

If these methods do not work, your phone and TV may not be compatible for USB connection. Try the other options below.

Connecting with an HDMI cable

This method of connecting the phone to the TV allows you to turn the smartphone-TV bundle into a single computer and run all the files from the phone on the big screen. Some gadgets immediately have a mini-HDMI connector, but this is a rarity. If your smartphone does not have this, you need to buy an adapter: this can be a USB Type-C to HDMI cable for more expensive smartphones, a Lightning to HDMI adapter for iPhone and iPad, and micro-USB-HDMI (with MHL interface).

Connecting your phone to a TV is easy: connect the devices with a cable, select the port to which the smartphone is connected as the signal source. Enjoy displaying your phone screen on your TV display.

Via USB Type-C connector

This adapter will help connect new smartphones to TV, flagship models with a modern connector for fast charging. It is best to choose a universal adapter that can be connected to a TV with HDMI, VGA, DVI or MiniDP. Cost: 900-1000 rubles.

Via Lightning

This adapter allows you to connect Apple devices (iPhone or iPad) to your TV. The device can also be universal and fit any TV. It is cheaper to buy a simple adapter, it costs from 1500 rubles.

Via MHL

This is a way to connect an older or cheaper device to the TV. If the smartphone has a microUSB connector, then the MHL adapter allows you to connect it to HDMI. Mobile High-Definition Link technology must be supported by a smartphone and TV. To check if your smartphone supports this feature, download and run the MHL Checker app. The TV should have the inscription MHL next to the HDMI connector. Cost: from 600 rubles.

Through Slim Port

This method is suitable if your smartphone does not support the previous method. This is most often the case for older devices. They should also have a microUSB input.

What can be done?

Use your TV as an external display for playing games and watching movies. The TV screen displays the full screen of the smartphone.

Wireless connections from a smartphone to a TV

Connecting with Wi-Fi

This method is suitable for TVs equipped with a Wi-Fi module. You can find out if it is on your TV by looking at the instructions or the description on the Internet. It is also worth checking whether your smartphone is modern enough: nothing will work with phones equipped with Android OS below the fourth version or iPhone below 4s. Everything will work out if there is an item “Wi-Fi Direct” in the smartphone in the “Wireless networks” section. Usually, you can find it in the settings sub-item (behind the three dots in the right corner). It needs to be active.

Then, on the TV to which you want to connect your phone via Wi-Fi, you need to find the “Network” section in the menu. Here we also select Wi-Fi Direct. In the list of available devices that appears, select your phone – most likely it will be the only one here. The connection request will fly to the smartphone – confirm it in the pop-up window that opens.

What can be done?

Посмотреть со смартфона изображения. Скорость передачи информации низкая.

Connection using DLNA

This method is suitable for Android smartphones and DLNA-enabled TVs. To transfer files, you need to connect your phone and TV to your home Internet network (you can use various methods), then turn on the DLNA function on the TV in the settings. After that, select a movie, picture or music, click on the file name and in the settings press: “Menu – select player”. Find your TV in the list.

What can be done?

View files from your smartphone. For advanced settings and viewing files not only from the gallery, you will need to install any application for DLNA from Google Play.

Connecting with Miracast

This function allows you to mirror the screen of a mobile phone on a TV display. To do this, you need a SMART TV with support for the Miracast function or a special adapter (costs from 900 rubles) if your device does not support this function.

How to connect a TV with built-in Miracast?

Turn on the function in the network settings on the TV. Select the “Wireless Monitor” function on your smartphone, it is located in the screen settings. Find your TV in the list of found devices, enjoy the image from your smartphone on the big screen.

How to connect the adapter to TV?

A special adapter is connected via HDMI-connector. Then, in the list of sources on TV, you need to select this particular channel. A QR code will appear on the screen, point your smartphone at it and download a special application. You can also try to find your TV without installing additional programs by turning on the “Wireless Monitor” function in the screen settings.

What can be done?

Broadcast, expand the smartphone screen on TV, watch pictures and videos.

Connecting with Chromecast

Google’s proprietary technology works in a similar way. To be successful, you will need a special set-top box Chromecast, Android phone or iPhone. The set-top box connects to the TV via an HDMI connector, and it is also equipped with USB for charging.

Connecting is easy enough. You need to select the HDMI port of the set-top box on the TV, connect it to the WI-FI network. On your smartphone, open the Google Home application, log in with your account in this system, and then launch the content in any application by selecting the broadcast icon and then the TV device from the list.

What can be done?

Watch videos from the gallery and applications (for example, YouTube), make presentations from the phone to the audience, play, show photos on the big screen. Set-top boxes exist both with support for Full HD and 4K.

Connecting a Smartphone to a Samsung TV Using the Software

If you use equipment from the manufacturer Samsung (both a smartphone and a TV), then using the USB connection of the phone to the TV, you can duplicate the screen of the smartphone on the TV. The additional Screen Mirroring software will help to do this. The function must be enabled in the settings of the smartphone and TV at the same time.

Connect iPhone and iPad with AirPlay

If you have an iPhone and Apple TV at your disposal, the task is simplified, because the manufacturers have thought about all the subtleties. The proprietary AirPlay function will help you achieve your goal.

To connect to a TV with an Apple TV set-top box, you must first connect both devices to the Internet, then on your smartphone, go to Control Center and select the Screen Mirroring line. Apple TV will be in the list of devices.

What can be done?

Watch photos, videos, listen to music, make presentations, play from your phone, using TV as a big screen.

What is the best way to connect the phone to the TV

For iPhone

The best way is to use native software. AirPlay will provide full functionality for combining TV and smartphone without errors. The only downside is the price. Miracast technology is also suitable for the iPhone.

For Android

The Miracast wireless function is the most accessible and provides full functionality without restrictions. It is important that any TV can be turned into a device that supports the smartphone function. Not the most expensive adapter will help. USB-cable is suitable for extreme cases when the phone is used as a flash drive.