Smartphones and tablets provide a convenient and ideal way to access content for use on the go, but there is still a lot to be said for viewing on a large TV screen.
Perhaps you are watching something on your phone and want to see it on the big screen or share it with others in the room.
Fortunately, smartphones and tablets have multitasking capabilities such as listening to music, playing games, and streaming videos. Most also bundle the power of computers into a portable device, including the ability to connect to another screen or monitor, such as a TV.
Android and iOS device users have an arsenal of devices and wireless options to connect their phone or tablet to their TV. In this guide, we’ll show you how to connect your phone or tablet to your TV via USB.
Reasons to connect your phone or tablet to the TV
You can easily view your phone or tablet screen on a TV using wireless means like screencasting or using devices like Google Chromecast and others, but connecting a USB to a TV is useful in many ways.
If you’re gaming and want to duplicate your phone to your TV, a USB connection reduces the lag you can experience when setting up a wireless network. It also comes in handy where there is no Wi-Fi or the wireless signal is weak, which means you need a wired connection to connect to the Internet.
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Alternatively, you may want to show some photos to others in the room, stream higher definition videos, or watch content on a large screen. In this case, connecting your phone to the TV via USB will help you view files, such as pictures, on the TV, so your phone will work as a mass storage device if the TV has a USB input.
If you are using a smart TV, you can easily connect to internet applications as they are built into the device. For other TVs, you can use streaming devices or set-top boxes to stream your favorite content to your TV.
Connect your phone or tablet to the TV via USB
There are various methods that can be used to connect a mobile device to a TV via USB, such as a USB cable for Android or a Lightning cable for iOS devices, Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), or SlimPort.
Let’s take a look at how each of these methods works to mirror your phone or tablet screen to your TV.
Android – Using a USB cable
For Android devices, you can use a USB cable to connect your phone or tablet to your TV if it has a USB port. If you’re connecting to a Smart TV, choose Source> USB to enable file transfer, instead of just charging your phone or tablet through the TV.
This method is used when you want to view files or photos on a compatible TV, as it technically transfers your files to open on a TV.
Connecting with an adapter or cable
This method works when you want to mirror your screen to your TV to transfer the image to the screen. You can use an adapter or HDMI cable to connect your phone to your TV and display content on the screen.
The USB to HDMI adapter is the easiest option as you simply plug the adapter into your phone and plug the HDMI cable into it to connect to your TV and watch from your phone Make sure your phone supports HDMI Alt Mode which allows video output.
Some Android devices have micro or mini HDMI ports for direct connection to HDMI using a single cable, so it is important to check if your cable is compatible before connecting the devices.
Connect to converter
The converter allows you to display your phone screen on your TV screen while charging your battery. This method involves connecting the converter to a USB-C port and HDMI port using a charger and HDMI cable, and the screen will be streamed to the TV for as long as you want.
Connect with MHL
The Mobile High-Definition Link protocol allows compatible smartphones or tablets to connect to the TV. The general setup for using MHL to connect your phone or tablet to a TV via USB requires a compatible phone or tablet that supports MHL, HDMI and a power cable, USB to HDMI MHL cable or adapter, and a display with HDMI input.
If your phone supports MHL, connect it to the HDMI MHL adapter and plug in the HDMI cable, then plug it into your TV. Don’t worry about your phone or tablet battery running out because this type of adapter has a charging port so your device can charge while you browse.
Connecting with SlimPort
MHL is one of the best ways to connect your phone or tablet to your TV via USB, but you can also use a SlimPort cable, which works similarly to MHL in that it transfers content from your device to the TV display, except that its outputs are different.
MHL and SlimPort are plug-and-play, but MHL is limited to HDMI video output, while SlimPort works over HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and DVI. This means you can use it for a variety of displays, including older TVs that don’t have digital inputs but have VGA.
SlimPort and MHL also differ in power supply; The former does not draw power from your device and the latter does not, so you need to connect the power cable using the MHL method.
To use SlimPort, you need a compatible device, a SlimPort adapter or cable (depending on your device), a display with HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and DVI inputs, and a video cable.
Plug the SlimPort adapter into your phone and connect it to your TV with a suitable cable and you can view your screen on your TV.
Streaming with DLNA App
If using cables is not for you, connect your phone or tablet to your TV using the DLNA app.
DLNA is a streaming protocol supported by most internet connected TVs, with which you can stream media files to your TV from your phone or tablet, provided the files are DRM-free.
Some good DLNA apps you can use include LocalCasts, which is free, or AllCast and streaming media to your DLNA device.
Connecting to Samsung DeX
DeX connectivity works with Samsung S8 or newer flagship phones, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. For the S8, Note 8, S9, and S9 +, however, you’ll need a dock, a power cable to charge your phone and dock, an HDMI cable, and a TV with HDMI input to use the DeX connectivity.
Other Samsung devices such as Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4 or newer just need a Type C to HDMI cable to enter DeX mode and DeX desktop mode respectively.
iOS – Using a Lightning Cable
This process is similar to connecting your Android phone or tablet to your TV via USB, except that you need a Lightning cable that is different from your iPhone model.
Most people have an iPhone 5 or newer with a Lightning connector, but for HDMI or VGA outputs, you’ll need a Lightning Digital AV Adapter or a Lightning to VGA Adapter, respectively.
For iPad, all models use the Lightning cable to connect iOS to a TV, except iPad 3 and earlier, which uses a 30-pin cable, but you can choose a digital AV or VGA adapter depending on your display’s input.
There are many third-party cables available, but most of them don’t work if you want to watch streaming video services like Netflix or Hulu, or video on demand like DirecTV or Comcast Xfinity. They lack HDCP (High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection), which protects against pirated content capture.
Plug in the adapter and connect the video output to your TV and your screen will be mirrored on the display. Remember to connect the end of the USB cable to the adapter and the other end to a power source, as it needs to be charged to play.
Note. The digital AV adapter for iOS comes in two models that serve different purposes. One connects your iPhone or iPad to a TV with HDMI output, and the VGA adapter connects to VGA compatible peripherals, so make sure to pick the correct version.
Connecting with DLNA App
Just like Android, you can connect your iOS device to an internet-facing TV using DLNA apps to stream media such as videos or music. For videos and music purchased from the iTunes Store, you will not be able to use the DLNA app to stream DRM-restricted content.
The advantage of using a DLNA app is that it will still find media on other devices like your computer and set up streaming to your game console, TV, or other computer without the need to convert videos or install special codecs to make it work.
Conclusion
While the way you connect your phone or tablet to your TV via USB differs depending on the device, connection, and display input, it’s not that hard once you know what you need and how to set it up.
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