The ability to view our mobile phone directly on a television, for convenience, is relatively easy on new smart TVs. But there are different technologies and alternatives, even for mobile phones or televisions that are a few years old. In this post we have compiled the simplest and most popular alternatives to connect the mobile to the TV.
Whether you have a mobile device with its own application or technology to connect to a Smart TV, or if you want to connect your old smart TV to an Android phone, there are different possibilities. Take note of the one that is most useful to you and start enjoying the advantages of viewing the best of your Smartphone, on a large screen, even without Android TV.
Wired connection
A very common form in the past, and which is still in force despite the advancement of wireless technologies. exist options like USB C to HDMI cable, or even a common HDMI or MicroHDMI, as long as your Smartphone has this tab. In these cases of wired connection, the mobile device connects directly, with almost no other type of interaction required. It's an advantage over wireless alternatives, but it's less convenient when it comes to handling and positioning the phone.
Wireless connection on Android
Being a highly versatile operating system, Android sends its content to a smart TV in different ways. You can do it via WiFi, with the native mirroring of some devices or through Chromecast. The steps for setting up this option are very simple and once you confirm compatibility with your TV, you will be able to enjoy your favorite mobile content on TV.
The most common option is the so-called wireless display or screen sharing. This option is activated from the Settings application. Depending on the type of Smartphone, the name of this function may vary. Some devices call it Miracast, others Mirroring, Wireless Display or Miracast. It is also listed as Screen Sharing on some Android devices. Some phones even include the icon in the notification settings panel, among the icons for WiFi, mobile data and the like.
To continue configuring the phone to play its content, we must choose the device that is connected to the TV's WiFi network. If it appears, we just have to press for the content to go directly to the TV. While the setup and feature itself is very simple to activate, there are smartphone manufacturers that make it difficult to locate the feature.
no need to despair, the developer community appeared and created its own applications to be able to broadcast on the television, what we do from the mobile. One of these alternatives is Screen Stream Mirroring Free. A free app, with advertisements, that allows us with a few clicks to activate the Miracast option on our mobile and transmit to the television connected to our WiFi network.
How to connect mobile to TV with DLNA
El DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard It is very common in televisions in which the mobile screen cannot be seen, but specific content such as photos or videos can be seen, as well as online playback with compatible apps. In these cases, we will need a TV and a phone connected to the same WiFi network, and both with DLNA support.
This exchange system has some interesting quirks. First, is present in most televisions, which incorporate it as a connection protocol. On the other hand, we can continue to use the phone normally. Of course, you will not be able to see your mobile on TV if that was your goal. Only specific apps and files.
If you want to activate DLNA, we will start by connecting both the phone and the smart TV to the same WiFi network. Then, we activate the DLNA option on both devices and open the gallery, video or app to share. We select the Share option and you will see that the option Connect devices is available. Once the target device is confirmed, we will see the content in question there.
How to connect the mobile to the TV with iOS
In addition to Android, iOS devices can also connect to the smart TV to view videos and other content with greater size and definition. The truth is that the options here are more limited, although smart TV makers LG, Samsung, Sony and Vizio have reached agreements to offer compatibility in the future.
In order to connect the phone to the TV, you have to use AirPlay, and if the user does not add Apple TV to their TV, this will not work. That is why the new models are expected and more and more are arriving. AirPlay is activated from the iOS Control Center and selecting the screen mirroring option. Then we choose the compatible TV and that's it.
Conclusion
Depending on the reason why you want to know the alternatives of how to connect the mobile to the TV, you will have different alternatives. Android in that sense is more versatile and presents simple options that are compatible with many televisions and phones, while iOS requires that exclusivity so characteristic of the brand. It is up to each one to choose the one that best suits their needs.