How to Connect Android Phone or Tablet to TV

How to Connect Android Phone or Tablet to TV

With modern TVs supporting a growing range of on-demand apps and live streaming, mirroring content from a phone or tablet is rarely the best solution for accessing that content on the bigger screen. 

But when you're away from home and you're not logged into your own apps, you're using an old TV with no support for the latest apps, the content you want to view is owned by you, or it's inside a phone-focused app like TikTok, other solutions would be preferable. You can connect your phone or your Android tablet to a TV wirelessly or with a cable; we'll outline your options below.

Connect Android to TV using an HDMI cable

If you don't want to mess around with settings, the simplest solution to connect your Android phone or tablet to a TV is to use an HDMI cable. Provided your device supports HDMI streaming, you connect one end of the cable to the port on the back of the TV and the other end to the charging port on the TV. your phone and then change the source on the TV to display the HDMI input, however you will notice that a standard HDMI cable will not fit your phone and if your phone or tablet has a USB-C port it is very easy to navigate and you can buy an HDMI cable that has a USB-C connection in one end.

And if your phone or tablet has an older Micro-USB connection, then you similarly need a Micro-USB to HDMI cable, but it should be one that includes MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) technology, such as the StarTech flagship, and note that not all phones and tablets that have Android do support MHL, so try to see if your model supports that before you put any money in. Some tablets may also have Micro-HDMI or Mini-HDMI connections, which simplifies things, with these you can use a Micro-HDMI or Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable, but you should check your device's specifications to make sure you're buying the correct cable (these connections come in different sizes.

Connect Android to TV wirelessly

Since not all phones and tablets support HDMI connections and the cables strewn in the living room can be messy, a wireless solution may be the best. Casting content from your phone or tablet to your TV is really easy, but what confuses things is the sheer number of terms used in conjunction. Along with it, from Miracast and wireless display to screen mirroring and SmartShare and everything in between, there's also AirPlay, but it's only used for Apple devices. Our advice is to not worry too much about these terms; you just look for an option in your phone or tablet settings that says "cast" or "screen mirroring," which can be found under "Connected Devices" or "Display Settings" depending on your device.

Casting usually allows you to stream content from a specific app to your TV—ideal for watching video on the big screen—without sharing anything else from your phone. Screen mirroring shares everything from your phone screen, so only use it if you feel comfortable seeing your entire screen. room for your notifications, most smart TVs will support Android screen mirroring, and if you don't have a smart TV, relatively inexpensive wireless projectors like Chromecast and Roku can facilitate a wireless connection between your phone or tablet and the TV and have many useful uses too. Make sure you enable the option "Screen mirroring" in the settings of the device you are using.