How to connect to a Samsung TV through your phone

How to connect your phone to your Samsung TV

Smartphone is a self-sufficient gadget that gives the user a lot of opportunities for communication, work and entertainment. But sometimes it is not very convenient to carry out some operations on the screen of the mobile device, and therefore it is necessary to connect the phone to the TV set.

Phone and TV are two completely different devices. Originally, the first device was used for communication with other people, while the TV receiver played a role of an entertainment gadget only. In recent years, the situation has changed dramatically. Phones have become smartphones, and TVs have got smart features.

But even in today’s situation, when each of the designated devices is self-sufficient, the smartphone and TV perfectly complement each other. Therefore, many users are looking for a way to connect the phone to the TV receiver. First of all this kind of pairing is important for those who want to watch content on a big screen. Because the diagonal of your smartphone is not enough to see all the details of the picture.

Connecting your mobile device to your TV allows you to display on the big screen:

In short, the pairing of two devices makes the operation of the smartphone more comfortable. The user gets to read information from the big screen, rather than gazing into the small display of a handheld gadget.

What is needed for the connection

All you need is three things: the TV, the Android device and a Micro USB (USB Type-C) cable to connect, and sometimes you may need an MHL adapter. As a rule, the smartphone downloads the drivers needed for successful synchronization, but in some cases you will need to install them manually.

Connecting via USB interface

  • Go to the phone settings, go to “Developer Setting” tab. Turn on the debugging mode via USB.
  • If developer section is unavailable. Open “About device” data and press “Kernel version” item for 3-5 seconds. A notification will appear notifying you that the developer options are now available.
  • Connect your gadget to TV, using Micro-USB cable. Android will notify you that the battery charging process has started.
  • Press “Source” or “Signal Source” button on the TV remote control. Select your Android device.
  • Installation of drivers and necessary software usually takes less than a minute. Once the process is complete, go to work with your gadget.

Important! If the drivers are not installed automatically, download them from the manufacturer’s official web site and manually transfer them to your TV set via USB flash drive or Micro SD memory card. Read the manual for more information.

Connection with HDMI

Some older models of tablets are equipped with a Mini-HDMI connector, but in most cases this interface is not installed on smartphones. Connection of modern gadgets is possible with the Micro-USB. HDMI adapter, it is called mhl adapter. This way you can not only watch high quality video (Full HD) on TV, but also transfer files between the mobile device and TV.

  • Connect the device to the TV using an HDMI cable. In most cases you will not need to make any additional settings.
  • On the remote control, press the “Source” button and select the source “HDMI”. Synchronization usually takes a few seconds.

Using Wi-Fi

Synchronizing via Wi-Fi is not much different from transmitting multimedia files via Bluetooth.

  • Open the settings of the gadget and go to the Wi-Fi tab. Tap on the wireless network switch.
  • Press the triple dot in the upper right corner of the screen, then press “Advanced Settings.
  • Click on the “Wi-Fi Direct” tab. This feature is used to directly pair Android with other devices.
  • Open the Smart-TV menu by tapping the appropriate button. Go to the “Network” section.

Important! On different TV models, the section may have similar, but not identical names.

  • Find and enable “Wi-Fi Direct”. Scanning starts, it usually takes not more than 5-10 seconds. List of devices available for pairing will appear. Choose your phone and press “Connect. The gadget will be synchronized.

How do I connect my phone to my Samsung TV via Wi-Fi

There are several options to connect your phone to your Samsung TV via Wi-Fi:

Using the Screen Mirroring technology in Samsung smartphones;

Each has its own pros and cons. And is used in different situations.

Connecting with Screen Mirroring

Screen Mirroring is a special broadcast technology that is built into the firmware of Samsung smartphones. This will allow you to quickly connect your phone to the big screen. However, please note that Screen Mirroring is supported only by a limited number of smartphones and TV models.

Samsung smartphone that supports Screen Mirroring;

Samsung TV with Screen Mirroring support;

Devices are connected to different wireless networks;

One of the two devices (or both) does not support Screen Mirroring.

Make sure your smartphone and TV are connected to the same wireless network;

How to connect samsung smart tv to mobile Wirelessly using App. VERY EASILY

Open the Source menu and select Screen Mirroring;

Open the quick settings panel on your phone (located in the notification panel) and select Smart View or Screen Mirroring;

Wait until a compatible TV is found on the connected network. This usually takes about a minute;

The TV should display the smartphone’s interface.

This mechanism works on most modern Samsung smartphones and TVs. However, low-cost models, especially those without Smart TV functionality, do not support Screen Mirroring.

Connecting via Wi-Fi Direct (Miracast)

Wi-Fi Direct technology allows you to run high-speed local wireless networks between devices. You don’t even need a router or home Wi-Fi for this. Only compatible TV and mobile device is enough.

How to Connect Samsung Smart TV to Mobile Hotspot

To find out if your TV supports Wi-Fi Direct technology, see the model description on the box or the manufacturer’s website.

One or both devices do not support Wi-Fi Direct.

On TV, go to “Settings” and open the “Network” item;

In the security key setting, set the desired Wi-Fi Direct point password;

On your phone, go to settings and open Connections;

In the connection settings, open Wi-Fi and look for Wi-Fi Direct in the advanced options;

Turn it on if it was previously turned off;

Go back to the list of wireless networks and select the created TV access point with the password invented at step 3;

Open the file or video stream you want to play on your phone;

Tap “Share” and select the TV you plan to send the data to.

This is one of the most time-consuming mechanisms. However, it is worth doing it once. As all subsequent transmissions will be more convenient. It is also worth noting that depending on the smartphone model, firmware version, as well as TV software, these items may differ.

Important! Both connected devices will be disconnected from the Internet during the connection. So you can’t watch YouTube videos or Netflix shows over Wi-Fi Direct.

Works on most models of mobile devices.

Both devices are disconnected from the Internet;

You need a TV that supports Wi-Fi Direct, but even among Samsung’s top-of-the-line models there are very few of those.

Connecting via DLNA

DLNA is a technology for creating a local network for sharing media files directly over the existing wired or wireless. In essence, it makes one device (in our case, a smartphone) become the server and everyone else can freely “take” photos, videos, and music from it. But this only happens within the local network, so neighbors. If they are not connected to your Wi-Fi. Will not be able to view the content.

The application does not work for some reason. Then you can install some other one;

One of two devices paired or both do not support DLNA.

Install an app on your phone that runs a DLNA server;

Select the file you want to watch on the big screen in this app;

Specify the “receiver” device (your TV) in the app.

Connection is as easy as possible, but requires compatible hardware and app. Also, it does not allow streaming videos. For example, clips from YouTube or movies from Netflix.

Many compatible TVs and smartphones;

Only local files can be played back;

Requires finding and selecting a workable DLNA app.

Connect via Chromecast

Chromecast is a USB dongle (and technology of the same name) from Google, which plugs into the HDMI-port of the TV and allows you to broadcast anything at all to the big screen. You can show photos from your mobile device or its desktop, a video stream or browser tab from your computer, music from some streaming service, and much, much more.

So, the author of these lines in the evenings turns on TV shows through an app on your phone. Just starts the broadcasts and watches them on the big screen, and switches episodes on your smartphone. Conveniently!

The great thing about this tip. It always works. But requires the purchase of additional equipment.

Connect your Chromecast to the TV and power. It will turn on automatically;

Install the Google Home app on your phone and open it;

Wait for Google Home to find the Chromecast on the network;

On the TV remote control, press Source and select the HDMI port to which the Chromecast is connected;

Follow the instructions on the screens to set up the Chromecast.

You only need to do these items once. Chromecast will then be ready to go all the time.

Open the desired photo or video on your phone;

Experience has shown that Chromecast streams perfectly:

All mobile device intelligence, including third-party apps (games and messengers);

Stream as fast as possible, up to 4K UHD resolution is supported depending on the Chromecast model;

It is possible to broadcast both a particular video stream and the whole screen.

Connecting to a TV with Chromecast

We should clarify right away: Google Chromecast device is only one of the devices that support the technology of the same name.

Similarly, many phones support it, from Google Pixel and Samsung to Xiaomi and Huawei, as well as all sorts of third-tier Chinese no-names. As well as a considerable number of TVs, which is probably more important.

If you have a TV with Chromecast support in your Wi-Fi network, then a special icon will appear in the player window of your smartphone, offering to transmit the video broadcast to the TV.

After the transfer you can do anything with your smartphone, you can start a game, search for new headphones on Aliexpress or set it aside, because your smartphone will send the link to the video to your TV and it will display the control elements, and the latter will play the file using the link.

Chromecast also supports Google Assistant, so you can send a voice assistant to do it instead of searching for videos manually.

By the way, through Chromecast you can transmit video to the TV from a laptop, and then you can do away with the laptop: the TV received the link and opened the video directly from the site, so there is basically no need for a laptop to intermediate.

And one more nice moment: the Chromecast technology by default supports the work in Miracast mode, that is, you can pass a link to the TV to the series of interest, or you can switch to a duplicate screen mode and browse the same pictures on the big screen.

Connecting a Samsung tablet or smartphone to a Samsung TV

Unfortunately, you will not be able to connect your devices via the standard Android programs. You will have to use a special cable or the Samsung software. On smartphones from the manufacturer it is already installed, so it will be easier to connect them. But keep in mind that the smartphone and the TV must be on the same network: both devices can be connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi or LAN.

On the TV, open the “Sources” menu and go to the Screen Mirroring tile to enable the data transfer function from your mobile device.

If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet, swipe down from the top of the screen and turn on Smart View or Screen Mirroring in the menu. After that, the connection between your cell phone and your TV will start to be established. If you can’t find your TV, press the Source button on your remote and select Smart View or Screen Mirroring. If the connection is established, the phone desktop will be displayed on the TV screen.

Wireless connection

This is the most convenient type of connection. You do not need to think about where to put another wire, you do not need to go to the TV to connect your smartphone. The only unpleasant thing concerns the fact that your TV must support Wi-Fi. If it does not, you will have to worry about buying additional accessories.

To connect your smartphone to the TV in this way, you need to buy a Chromecast media player. Luckily it does not cost much and will only cost you 3500-4000 and if you add about 3 thousand more you can get a Chromecast with Google TV. In this case you will not only be able to stream content from your smartphone, but you will also get a full-fledged TV set-top box which turns your TV into a Smart-TV.

So, you’ve bought Chromecast, what’s next? Connect the set-top box to your TV via HDMI and install the Google Home app for Android or iOS on your smartphone. Then switch the signal source of your TV-setup to the set-top box HDMI-port and set it up by following the easy and clear step-by-step instructions.

Branded Screen Mirroring utility

The brand’s latest-generation TVs have built-in functionality that allows you to sync with smartphones. At Samsung Smart TV it is called Screen Mirroring. The technology works using wireless protocols. The presence of this functionality is indicated both in the brief specification of the device and in the instruction manual.

Important! All “Samsung” 7, 8 and 9 series TVs support this technology, while models with the prefixes F, J, K and M do not. In order to find out if this functionality is built into the software, you should open the “Connecting to a cell phone” section in the TV menu. There should be “Mirror screen” item.

Similar features can be found on Samsung phones, as well as on phones from other manufacturers, which noticeably simplifies the synchronization process. Specific steps depend on the version of the operating system of the mobile device and available modifications. For example, LG company adds to the firmware of their gadgets a specific and very different functionality from the ordinary software. Change of menu names, layout of branches, shortcuts and other elements. The same situation is noticed for brands “Huawei”, “Asus”, etc. Let’s consider the synchronization procedure with regard to the version of the operating system.

Android 4x and 5x

The OS is pretty old and has practically outlived its usefulness, but it’s still popular on ultra-budget phones and other “smart” gadgets with a limited internal storage space.

Connecting a smartphone to TV via Screen Mirroring:

  • Press the Source key on the remote control.
  • Select the Screen Mirroring function in the “Source” section.
  • Open the settings on your mobile device.
  • Find the “Connect” section and click on the All Share Cast or Screen Mirroring icon.
  • Your phone will search for devices.
  • In the pop-up window, click on the desired model to synchronize it with the TV.
  • Waiting for the end of the process.

To disconnect the device, it is enough to click on “Disconnect connection”.

Android 6x

Here, unlike in previous generations of operating systems, any conflicts are minimized: there are almost no crashes, bugs and other unpleasant things.

  • Open the menu of quick settings by swiping down.
  • Click on the icon of a snowflake quick connection.
  • Choose the TV model.
  • Next, go to “Device screen on TV”.
  • Wait for the pairing process.
  • Agree with the broadcast screen.

To disconnect the connection, press the “Disconnect” button.

Android 7x

The functional of the OS “Android” 7 version “picks up” the devices via wireless protocols much faster, it is much more stable and offers wider opportunities.

  • Launch Quick Settings with a swipe down.
  • Unfold the main panel by pulling its edge.
  • With a swipe to the right we open additional options.
  • Click on All Share Cast (sometimes Smart View) icon.
  • We find the TV-device in the list and after a tap we start the connection.

You can disconnect synchronization by clicking on the “Disconnect device” key.

Which is the best way to connect your phone to the TV?

For iPhone

The best way is to use the native software. Airplay will give full functionality for the combination of TV and smartphone without mistakes. The only downside is the price. Miracast is also available for the iPhone.

For Android

The wireless Miracast feature is the most affordable and provides full functionality without limitations. It is important that any TV set can be turned into a smartphone-enabled device. Not the most expensive adapter will help. USB.Cable is suitable for extreme cases when the phone is used as a flash drive.