App to connect the phone to the TV

You make a rather frequent use of your smartphone, unfortunately, since it is a phone already a few years old, you have many difficulties in using it for viewing multimedia content: the screen is small, the audio is low and the performance is not certainly at the top. In this regard, some of your more tech-savvy friends have told you about the possibility of installing apps to connect your phone to the TV and thus enjoy the content of your interest on the large screen of the living room (or any other room in the house).

The question is of interest to you and you would therefore like some advice on the matter. Well, if that’s the case, don’t worry: if you want I can guide you in installing and using some applications that will allow you to connect your phone to the TV in a few simple steps by talking about apps to use your mobile device as a remote control. or connect it to your home TV to play movies, TV series, videos and any other multimedia element.

All you need is a few minutes of free time and, smartphone in hand, follow the instructions I will give you in the following lines to the letter. Regardless of the smartphone model you have, I assure you that you will be able to achieve your goal. Happy reading and good luck for everything!

Index

• App to send content from phone to TV
  • Chromecast compatible apps
  • AirPlay compatible apps
  • Miracast compatible apps
• App to control TV with your phone
  • App to connect your phone to the TV with WiFi
  • App to connect your phone to the TV without WiFi

App to send content from phone to TV

Let’s start this guide by analyzing together what are the methods and the most used apps to connect the phone to the TV for the purpose of streaming content.

Chromecast compatible apps

Among the many applications that allow you to send content from the phone to the TV, I would like to point out those compatible with the Google Cast transmission protocol and, consequently, with the Google Chromecast device.

If you had never heard of it, the Chromecast is a key produced by the Mountain View giant, which must be connected to the HDMI port of the TV, capable of receiving streaming content from compatible apps (and programs) and mirroring of the devices screen.

Currently, Chromecast is available in two versions: the basic one, which allows the playback of content with resolution up to 1080p at 60 fps; and Chromecast with Google TV, which allows the playback of content with resolution up to 4K HDR at 60 fps and has an internal store and dedicated remote control.

Both devices can be purchased from the Google store at a price of € 39 and € 69.99 respectively. Furthermore, the Chromecast features are also integrated on all televisions equipped with the Android TV operating system and the NVIDIA Shield TV Box.

But how does the Google Cast protocol work? It’s that easy. First, you need to configure and connect the Chromecast to the Internet using the Google Home app, available for Android and iOS, or connect the compatible TV / TV box to the Network.

Once this is done, simply connect the phone to the same Wi-Fi network in use on Chromecast or on the compatible Smart TV, open one of the Google Cast compatible apps, press the icon of the screen with waves and select the TV from the list of devices. available. The applications that allow you to transmit content from the phone to the TV via Google Cast / Chromecast are really many: below you will list the most used and known.

• Allcast( Android / iOS ): is a popular application that allows you to broadcast photos and videos from your phone’s memory using the Google Cast protocol. The free version of the app limits viewing of content to a fixed time and features advertisements, conditions that are eliminated by purchasing Allcast Premium.
• Android: Google’s operating system is natively compatible with Google Cast, so it is possible to cast the entire smartphone screen directly to a Chromecast device. More info here.
• Amazon Prime Video( Android / iOS ): The popular streaming service dedicated to Amazon Prime customers supports streaming of content via Chromecast. More info here.
• BubbleUPnP( Android ): is an application designed for the transmission of video content from smartphones, tablets, DLNA servers and UPnP servers (after appropriate configuration). The app is free, but some additional features can be obtained by purchasing a paid license.
• DAZN( Android / iOS ): the official app of the sports platform of the same name provides the ability to transmit content via the Google Cast protocol. More info here.
• Google Play Film( Android / iOS ): As you can imagine, Google’s video platform offers full support for the Google Cast protocol. More info here.
• Mediaset Infinity( Android / iOS ): the official app dedicated to the on-demand streaming platforms offered by Mediaset allows you to transmit content from your smartphone to any device compatible with the Google Cast protocol. More information here.
• Localcast( Android / iOS ): another excellent application that allows you to stream audio and video content from UPnP, DLNA or Samba servers.
• Netflix( Android / iOS ): the official apps of the Netflix platform, which needs no introduction, allow you to stream movies even on compatible Chromecast and Smart TVs. More info here.
• NOW( Android / iOS ): even the app dedicated to the on-demand streaming of the best contents of the Sky platform, without any constraint or obligation to stay, allows you to transmit the contents from the phone to the TV. More info here.
• Plex( Android / iOS ): is one of the best-known apps that can manage your audio/video library and stream it to other devices, including those compatible with Google Cast. More info here.
• Spotify( Android / iOS ): This is one of the most popular music streaming services, accessible from a wide range of devices and operating systems, including Chromecast dongles. Read more here.
• TIMVISION( Android / iOS ): this is the streaming platform promoted by TIM, which hosts a large number of titles including films, TV series, documentaries and cartoons, as well as sports and football events (subject to separate subscription). The official app of the service provides the possibility to transmit the contents also on TV, via Chromecast device or Google Cast protocol on compatible Smart TV. Read more here.
• TuneIn Radio( Android / iOS ): TuneIn is a provided streaming service that allows you to listen to radio stations from all over the world, even on TV via Chromecast.
• YouTube( Android / iOS ): needless to say, the app dedicated to the most famous Google video platform is compatible with the Google Cast protocol. More information here.
• Web video cast( Android / iOS ): this is an application that allows you to “capture” the video streams contained within a web page, using the practical integrated browser and retransmit them on devices compatible with Google Cast.
• RaiPlay( Android / iOS ): the app dedicated to streaming (both live and on-demand) of the contents coming from Rai broadcasters also allows the latter to be transmitted from the mobile phone to a Google Cast device. More information here.
• Replica( iOS ): this is an application that, taking advantage of the iOS screen recording function, allows you to transmit the latter to Google’s Chromecast, although the mirroring functionality is not natively integrated into the Apple operating system.

For more information on how the Google Cast protocol works, I refer you to reading the thematic tutorial I dedicated to the topic. If, on the other hand, you are interested in learning more about what are the applications for Chromecast, please take a look at my specific guide about it.

AirPlay compatible apps

From the world of Google, let’s now move on to the world of Apple: AirPlay is a wireless technology from Apple that works over a Wi-Fi network and allows you to send video and audio content from iPhone (but also from iPad and Mac) to a compatible TV.

Smart TVs that allow you to natively take advantage of this possibility are marked with the Works with Apple AirPlay / Apple AirPlay 2 label, clearly visible on the sales package or on the device’s technical sheet. The complete list of Smart TVs with AirPlay support is available on the Apple website.

If you have a TV (Smart or not) that does not support AirPlay, you can fall back on an external device, called Apple TV: it is a multimedia box that connects to the HDMI port of the TV that allows you to receive streaming content from the iPhone, iPad and Mac, natively.

Apple TV is available in three different models: Apple TV HD, which supports the playback of content with a maximum resolution of Full HD (1080p) and has 32 GB of internal memory; and Apple TV 4K, which adds 4K resolution support and is available in 32GB or 64GB internal memory sizes.

Using AirPlay is very simple: once the Smart TV or Apple TV has been configured appropriately, simply connect the iPhone to the same wireless network in use on the latter, open the desired streaming app and, after starting the playback of the content of your interest, press the AirPlay icon and select the TV name from the list of available devices.

Most streaming apps designed for iPhone allow you to stream content via AirPlay. Among these, there is a good part of those already mentioned above for Google Cast: Allcast, Amazon Prime Video, DAZN, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and Web videocast, just to give you some examples.

As you can imagine, all the multimedia applications owned by Apple and available for iOS (Photos, Music, iMovie, GarageBand, and so on) also allow you to stream content using AirPlay.

Being an Apple technology, the AirPlay system is not natively supported on Android, but there are some third-party apps, such as Cast TV, which allow you to send photos, videos and saved songs to Apple TV (or Smart TV AirPlay 2) in memory, content stored on network devices and content available online, thanks to the integrated browser.

To deepen the discussion on how to activate and use AirPlay, I refer you to reading the tutorial that I dedicated to this topic, full of useful information about it.

Miracast compatible apps

Another transmission system that can be used to transmit content from smartphones (and tablets) to TV is Miracast: it is a protocol promoted and distributed by the Wi-Fi Alliance which, unlike what has been seen so far, uses Wi-Fi connectivity. Direct and does not require a router or other support network devices, as the connection is established in direct mode between the devices involved.

Miracast technology is integrated in most modern Smart TVs and must be activated directly from the device Settings, or by starting a specific application. Depending on the manufacturer, its menu/app may appear under a different name: Screen Share (LG), AllShare (Samsung), Screen Mirroring (Sony Bravia), Wireless Screencast (Philips), and so on.

If your Smart TV does not support Miracast, or you have a TV that does not have Smart features, you can integrate this protocol using a small HDMI adapter designed for the purpose.

As for the apps compatible with Miracast, once again, it is not possible for me to provide you with a complete and exhaustive list: numerous Android apps dedicated to streaming, in fact, are able to start the transmission of contents through Miracast using the dedicated function of the operating system, with the same methods already seen for Chromecast.

On the iPhone, unless you use a third-party app, this possibility is not provided, as Miracast is not natively supported by Apple.

App to control TV with your phone

Let’s now pass to the applications that allow you to control the TV via your smartphone, to be used instead of the “classic” remote control supplied.

App to connect your phone to the TV with WiFi

If yours is a Smart TV with Wi-Fi connectivity and already connected to the Internet, there is a very good chance that the manufacturer of the device will provide at least an official app that can “act” as a remote control and expand the functionality of this. last, allowing, for example, direct text entry or immediate playback of a video, photo or song stored in memory. Applications of this type work over the Internet and require both devices involved to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

For example, the app to connect the phone to the Samsung TV is called SmartThings and is available for free for Android ( Play Store and alternative market ) and iOS, while the app to connect the phone to the LG TV is called LG ThinQ and is also available for both the Google mobile operating system and for that of Apple.

Apps of this type often have a similar operation: after connecting the TV to the Internet and checking that the smartphone is also connected to the same network, you need to download the application on the phone, start it and carry out the guided connection procedure, after automatic recognition. or entering the identification code.

Taking the LG ThinQ app as an example, after opening it, accept the terms of use by clicking on the appropriate box, enter your date of birth and a nickname to use within the app and press the Finish button. After reaching the main screen of the app, tap the [+] button, wait for the TV to be detected automatically, press the button to search nearby and tap the name of the TV to start its configuration.

Finally, enter the numerical code that appears on the TV screen, press the OK button and go to the home to complete the registration of the device. More info here.

App to connect your phone to the TV without WiFi

If your TV does not have Smart functionality, you cannot connect it to the Internet or, again, there is no application to control it via Wi-Fi, you can fall back on one of the many apps for TV remote controls that have support for sending commands via infrared.

In order for everything to go smoothly, it is essential that the infrared (IR) port is present on the phone, which limits the operating range to devices with an Android operating system only (as iPhones do not have infrared ports).

Generally, applications of this type are present “standard” on phones equipped with an IR port: for example, if yours is a Xiaomi branded phone, you can use the Mi Remote Control app, accessible via the icon in the drawer of the applications. This app can also be downloaded from the Play Store and from the alternative stores for Android and installed on any other phone equipped with an IR port and equipped with a version of the Google operating system equal to or higher than 5.0.

To proceed, after having approached the TV (which must be in stand-by, i.e. off but able to receive the ignition signal from the remote control) and downloaded the app, open it, accept the terms of use by pressing on the ‘appropriate button and allow access to notifications and other elements of the operating system, responding affirmatively to the warnings that appear later.

Next, press the button to Add a remote control, tap the TV option and choose the manufacturer’s name from the list that is proposed to you. After this step too, proceed with the configuration of the commands, following the instructions that appear on the screen: then press the Off button, touch the virtual power button that appears on the display and check if the TV is on or not.

If so, tap the Yes button to advance to the next step, or the No button to try switching on with another virtual button. Following the same procedure, also try the buttons to change the channel, lower / raise the volume or access the TV menu. Once the configuration is complete, indicate the location and name of the device, choose whether to add a shortcut to the phone’s Home screen and you’re done!

In addition to Remote Control Mi, there are numerous alternative applications, such as SURE and AnyMote, which work in a similar way: I told you about them in detail in my guide dedicated to remote control apps.

 

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