Google Chromecast may appear to be an absolute necessity when it comes to streaming your favorite shows and movies. But, allow me to burst your bubble.
You can cast your mobile devices to your television and fully immerse yourself without shelling out a fortune.
Cast to Tv Without Chromecast From Your Phone
There are numerous methods for casting your screen to television without using a Chromecast. Below, we’ve listed a few methods that work similar to Chromecast and are also quite simple to implement.
Using Smart View
If you’re a Samsung user, you might’ve noticed the Smart View option on your quick links panel. You can now use this option to mirror your screen with your smart TV easily.
- Open the quick links panel by swiping down on your home screen.
- Tap on the Smart View icon.
- Now, you can see the available devices to mirror your phone screen.
If you don’t see your TV on the list, check if it is connected to the same Wi-Fi as your phone. - Select your TV from the list and select Start now.
- The option might ask you to enter a PIN if you had previously set it up.
Now, you can view your phone screen on your TV and watch any content you want without a Chromecast.
Using Screencast
If you can’t find the Smart View option on your phone, try using Screencast. This is a built-in function on your Android smartphone while browsing YouTube or Netflix. It looks like a square with a wifi logo inside.
- Open your desired app to view content. Look for the Screencast icon at the top-right corner of your screen.
- Tap on it and connect to your TV.
It’s best to ensure your TV and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Screen Mirroring on Your Iphone
You can also start Screen Mirroring on your iPhone to connect to your TV.
- Simply swipe down on your home screen, to open the Control Center.
- Below the Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth menu, you can see the Screen Mirroring logo that has two rectangles.
- Check if your TV is connected to your Wi-Fi and ready for Screen Mirroring.
- Once your TV name shows up on the list of devices under Screen Mirroring, tap on it and start enjoying the content.
Screen mirroring is the quickest method of screen casting. However, you may have to give up some privacy, as turning off screen mirroring can be tricky for some.
HDMI-to-Phone Adapters
If you want to watch content from your laptop, just connecting an HDMI cable to your laptop is easy and fast. But, tiny devices like HDMI cables for your phone work wonders if you prefer to mirror your phone to your TV.
Simply plug an HDMI cable into an HDMI-to-phone adapter. Then, connect your adapter to your phone to begin screen mirroring.
Samsung has an adapter called USB-C to HDMI adapter. Similarly, Apple has the Lightning Digital AV Adapter that you can get for $49. Both these adapters claim to provide great video quality.
Although these extra purchases may seem costly, they’re very handy if you often cast your screen to a TV or a monitor.
Third-party Apps
If you’re having issues with the above suggestions, you can get a third-party app for screen mirroring. There are many such free apps you can find on the PlayStore and the App Store.
You can try some useful apps like Mirroring 360, SecondScreen, TeamViewer, and AnyDesk.
Cast From Macbook/iMac using Airplay/ Screen Mirroring
You can find a similar feature, i.e., Airplay, on your Macbook or iMac. This is an easy way to mirror your screen to your TV wirelessly.
- Tap the Airplay icon on the header menu bar on your Macbook.
- It should look like a rectangle with a triangle at the bottom.
- It will show you a list of devices with which you can mirror your screen under the AirPlay To menu.
- Tap on your TV and the screen mirroring will begin.
