How to Watch Videos from Your Phone on Your TV

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Cast videos from your phone to your TV with this comprehensive guide

Written by Cory Stillman

Last Updated: November 30, 2023 Fact Checked

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• Cast to Your TV
|
• Using AirPlay on iPhone to Apple TV
|
• Using Screen Mirroring on Android
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

This wikiHow article teaches you how to play videos from your smartphone on your TV. There are a number of ways to play video from your smartphone on your TV. Video streaming apps like YouTube allow you to cast video to their corresponding apps on your Smart TV, streaming devices, or video game console. You can also use screen mirroring to play videos on your phone on your Smart TV, or streaming devices like Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV.

Things You Should Know

• Most streaming apps support casting from your phone to your TV. Just play a video and look for the cast icon atop your screen.
• iOS users can play a video and tap the Share
  
  icon to find AirPlay and then project the video to their Apple TV.
• Android users can also find their phone's screen mirroring settings and cast their entire screen to their TV, allowing them to find and play a video from their gallery.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cast to Your TV

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1. 1
   Open a video on your phone. Many popular streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube support casting from your phone to your TV, as do videos within your gallery on Android.
2. 2
   Power on your smart TV or streaming device. Make sure your phone and the device you are casting to are on the same wireless network.
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3. 3
   Play a video. Using your smartphone, browse and play a video using a streaming service or other app that supports video casting.
4. 4
   Tap the cast button. It's the icon that resembles a TV with a Wi-Fi symbol in the lower-left corner. It is generally located along the top of the video playback on your phone.
5. 5
   Tap the device you want to cast to. You will see a list of devices on the same Wi-Fi network. When you tap the device you want to cast to, it will automatically load the video on your TV, and you will be able to control the playback with your phone.

   • To stop casting, tap the cast button on your phone, and tap "Stop Casting" in the lower-right corner of the popup window.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using AirPlay on iPhone to Apple TV

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1. 1
   Connect your Apple TV device to your TV. The Apple TV device connects to your TV using an HDMI port. Make sure it is set up on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.

   • Read here to learn how to setup your Apple TV.
   • Note that many Smart TVs come with Apple TV built in, and therefore support AirPlay without the need for an external device.
     • You can find a full list of TVs that support AirPlay at this link.
2. 2
   Open the App you want to cast video from. You can cast video from your camera roll to your TV. Other apps may support AirPlay casting to your TV, depending on the app developer.
3. 3
   Tap the Share

   

   icon. It's the blue button that resembles a box with an arrow pointing up. This will display a variety of share options.
4. 4
   Tap AirPlay. It's the icon that resembles a TV with a triangle below it.

   • The AirPlay icon may not be under the share icon on all apps. Look for it in the video playback on various video apps.
5. 5
   Tap the Apple TV device you want to connect to. Your video will start playing on your Apple TV.

   • To stop playing the video on your Apple TV, open the app that the video is playing from and tap the AirPlay icon. This will stop casting to your TV.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Screen Mirroring on Android

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1. 1
   Open your screen mirroring settings. The exact name of the feature differs across different models. On the Google Pixel, screen mirroring is the same as casting your screen. The Samsung Galaxy, on the other hand, refers to screen mirroring as "Smart View".

   • Swipe down on your notifications bar and find the screen mirroring tile for your phone to continue.
   • Read here for more information about screen mirroring to different devices.
2. 2
   Find your smart TV or streaming device listed on the following page. The page for your screen mirroring settings will pull up a list of all eligible devices connected to the same Wi-Fi. Tap your intended device to cast your phone's whole screen onto it.

   • Make sure both devices are powered on and connected to the same network.
   • Your TV may ask if you want to allow the connection. Select "Yes" using the remote. Your mobile phone will then transmit its screen to your TV over your wireless network.
3. 3
   Open the Gallery

   

   . It's the icon that resembles a picture. You will see your activity mirrored on your TV as you do this.
4. 4
   Navigate to a video. All videos taken with your smartphone are stored in various albums on in your Gallery.
5. 5
   Tap a video. This will open the video in full screen mode on your phone, and simultaneously project it onto your TV.

   • To stop mirroring, tap the screen mirroring, or casting icon on your screen, and click "Disconnect".
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