How to connect a phone to your TV
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Your TV is the most important part of your home for viewing content like games and movies, but sometimes those games and movies live on your phone – so how do you get them from one screen to the other? You have to connect your phone to your TV, of course.
Whether you're doing that with a Chromecast, which makes the job very simple and wireless, or you're literally going to plug your handset into your TV, it can be easy enough to view your smartphone content on a bigger screen.
With that in mind, we've come up with this quick guide to help you connect your phone to your TV, so you can view your games, movies or photos on the big screen. One of these methods needs a Chromecast, so scroll down if you have one, but if not then the first guide is for you.
How to connect a phone to your TV using wires
It's possible to plug your phone into your TV, if you're willing to splash out on an adaptor to let you do so.
Most modern phones have an USB-C port, and you can easily buy online a USB-C to HDMI on Amazon. Just plug the USB-C side into your phone, and the HDMI side into your TV, and you're good to go.
Older phones might have the archaic microUSB port, but don't worry – you can buy microUSB to HDMI cables online too.
Once you've plugged your smartphone into your TV, depending on the device, you may need to grant permission on your phone, but this should be as easy as pressing 'yes' or 'accept' on a pop-up prompt.
Now your TV should be displaying your phone screen, letting you view content on the big screen.
How to connect a phone to your TV using Chromecast
Chomecast is one of the most popular streaming devices around, and it makes displaying your phone screen on your TV easy and, most importantly, wireless.
You're going to need a Chromecast to get this method to work (obviously) – if you need help setting it up, check out our guide on how to set up Chromecast. You're also going to need to download the Google Home app on the smartphone you want to connect to your TV.
Once your Chromecast is set up and connected to your TV and your phone, open the Google Home app. Don't press the icon for your device, as you'd expect, but actually press the button in the bottom right of the screen – it looks like a little face, with a circle around it.
In this menu scroll down to 'Additional', and the first option is 'Mirror device'. Select it. You might be told that your device isn't optimised for the experience, but we've often had that error pop up with cutting-edge premium smartphones, so ignore it and click on 'Accept'.
Now you can see a big blue button saying 'Cast Screen/Audio' which, of course, you're going to press. Your phone will search for nearby devices, which should be quick enough if you've already set up your Chromecast. Simply select it, and your phone screen should start playing on your TV screen!
Bear in mind that using Chromecast to connect your phone to your TV can eat quite a big chunk of battery, so make sure your phone is charged fully or is connected to a plug if you want to watch lots of content.
Source: https://www.techradar.com