How To Connect Your Android Phone To Your TV

One of the features that make Android phones smart is their ability to connect with other devices such as tablets, computers, and televisions. While the process of connecting an Android smartphone to a tablet or desktop is fairly simple, users might need some help connecting their smartphone to the television. The task is more manageable with Smart TVs that support Chromecast, but regular television sets work just as well.

Android users might want to connect their smartphone to their television for several reasons. Whether to share the photographs of a family trip, or to enjoy the latest action movie, a bigger display undoubtedly provides a better viewing experience compared to a smaller Android smartphone. In this article, we will discuss the advantages of connecting an Android device to a television, the ways to connect it with a television, and the required accessories to do so. All you need to do is to choose the method that you find most convenient.

There are certainly several advantages to connecting an Android smartphone to a television. Given that millions of users stream content via an OTT platform on their smartphones, projecting them onto a device with a larger screen undoubtedly enhances the experience, not to mention is easier on the eyes. Similarly, one can use the larger screen estate to browse through webpages and watch videos on YouTube, social media applications like Instagram and even TikTok. 

In addition, users who cast their smartphones to their television can use them to enjoy video games. While those who have a dedicated games console are already aware, smartphone users are probably yet to explore the joy of playing their favorite mobile game on a large screen. It can make recognizing in-game items on the screen easier, and help you react faster. More passively, it's great to use a larger TV screen to viewing images or videos shot on a family vacation. 

The easiest way to connect an Android phone to a TV is with an HDMI cable. First, you need to check whether the TV you want to use has an HDMI input. Assuming the TV was purchased in the last few years, it's almost certain that it'll have an HDMI port capable of receiving both video and audio signals from an external device. More often than not, it is located on the back panel of a television, and labeled accordingly. Some TVs also have ports on the side.

Assuming that you have an HDMI port on your television, the next step is to find out the type of USB port on the Android smartphone itself. Newer models like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Google Pixel 6, and others come with a USB-C port. Older models, however, are more likely to feature a microUSB port. Whichever is the case, you'll need to buy an HDMI adapter that fits the smartphone's port; plugging that into the phone, and then connecting it via a standard HDMI cable to the TV's input port, should bring content on your phone's screen to the TV too. You may need to switch through the inputs on the TV — using the appropriate button on your TV remote — to find the right one for the port your smartphone is connected to.

While an HDMI adapter is the easiest way to connect an Android phone with a TV, it does require some wires. Sometimes, these wires can be unnecessarily long, and could even present a trip hazard if they stretch across the living room floor. There are plenty of other options for those who do not want to use a wire. A Google Chromecast dongle, for instance, allows for video to be wirelessly "cast" from a mobile device to a television. It is relatively easy to set up and, once it is in place, streaming on-screen content is as easy as tapping an icon on the phone's screen.

To set up a Chromecast, first you plug it into the TV and then connect the USB cable that comes with the device to a power source. That can be a spare USB port on the TV itself, if it has one, or a separate USB power adapter. After that, you'll need the free Google Home app, which is available on the Google Play Store. Once the application is downloaded to your smartphone, the "add device" option — shown as + at the top left corner of the interface — allows you to go through the 'Set up device' process. Select 'New device' from the options on the screen, follow the simple prompts, and you should end up with your phone linked to the Chromecast as long as they're on the same WiFi network. Compatible apps will show a cast button — it looks like a rectangle with a WiFi logo in the lower left corner — or you can cast direct from Google's Chrome browser instead.