A world that revolves around sharing, vacation photo slideshows and streaming shouldn’t be limited to small phone screens.

Thankfully, technology has grown rapidly and now phone screens can be displayed onto an HDTV screen. There are a few options to connect your device to your TV. Android and Apple phones have different connectivity requirements that must be considered.

Android Screen Mirroring

To mirror your Android device to your TV, you can either use a wired or a wireless connection.

Some wired connections rely on your devices being mobile high-definition link (MHL) compatible. If you have MHL compatible devices, screen mirroring simply requires connecting your Android phone to your TV with an MHL cable. Samsung discontinued use of the MHL cable a few years ago for their mobile devices.

Depending on your mobile device, you may also be able to use a mini HDMI or micro HDMI cable. Always check your device compatibility before purchasing cables.

Miracast

Most newer Android powered devices come equipped with Miracast as a standard wireless screen sharing option. Miracast is a wireless display standard that is specifically designed for sharing device screens to a TV, eliminating the need for an HDMI cable.  To see if your devices support Miracast, check out this Wi-Fi Alliance official Miracast list. Directly pairing Miracast supported devices does not require Wi-Fi or a router connection.

Some TVs do not have Miracast or other screen sharing technology built in to them. In these cases you’ll need to look into purchasing a wireless display receiver (also called a wireless display adapter).

The ScreenBeam Mini2 is a wireless display adapter with Miracast technology built in. This device offers the simplicity of “plug and play”  unlike other receivers that require you to download an app, sign up for an account and provide your credit card details. Instead you simply plug in the device and you’re connected. 

Apple Screen Mirroring

Apple devices are typically designed to be compatible exclusively with other Apple devices. That being said, it is also possible to use a wired connection to your Apple device. A simple Lightning digital AV adaptor such as this one uses an HDMI cable to connect to your TV and allows you to mirror your screen.

Apple iPhones and iPads utilize AirPlay to wirelessly screen mirror. The easiest way to mirror your device’s screen is through an Apple TV. Once your Apple TV is set up, screen mirroring is as simple as selecting the screen mirroring icon in the Control Center and selecting Apple TV.