How to Cast Phone to TV
Want to watch videos from your phone on a bigger screen? This guide shows you how to cast phone to TV wirelessly — no cables, no dongles, no hassle. Works with both Android and iPhone.
What You Need to Cast Phone to TV
Casting a phone to a TV sends the video stream directly from the web to your television, so your phone acts as a remote control rather than mirroring the entire screen. All you need is:
- An Android phone or iPhone with CastBrowser installed (Google Play or App Store)
- A TV or streaming device (Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, or any Smart TV)
- Both devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network
How to Cast Phone to TV (Step-by-Step)
Download CastBrowser on Your Phone
Install CastBrowser from the Google Play Store for Android or the Apple App Store for iPhone. The app is completely free — no subscription and no account required.
Connect Phone and TV to the Same Wi-Fi
Your phone and TV (or streaming device like Chromecast or Roku) must be on the same Wi-Fi network. CastBrowser uses your local network to discover nearby devices automatically.
Browse to a Video
Open CastBrowser and navigate to any website with video content. The built-in browser works just like Chrome or Safari — type a URL or search for what you want to watch. CastBrowser detects videos on the page automatically.
Tap the Video and Cast
When CastBrowser detects a video, tap on it to see quality options (SD, HD, or higher when available). Then tap the cast icon and select your TV from the device list. The video starts playing on your big screen instantly.
Control Playback from Your Phone
Your phone becomes the remote control. Play, pause, seek through the video, and adjust volume — all from the CastBrowser app. You can even keep browsing for the next video while one is playing on the TV.
Which TVs and Devices Can You Cast To?
CastBrowser works with virtually every modern TV and streaming device:
Chromecast
All Chromecast generations, Google TV, and TVs with Chromecast built-in
Roku
Roku TVs, Streaming Sticks, Express, Ultra, and Premiere
Fire TV
Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube, and Fire TV Edition Smart TVs
Smart TVs (DLNA)
Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Hisense, TCL, and more
Casting vs Screen Mirroring — What's the Difference?
Many people confuse casting with screen mirroring. They're not the same thing, and the difference matters for video quality and battery life.
Casting (CastBrowser)
- + Sends the video stream directly to the TV
- + Full quality, no compression
- + Low battery usage on your phone
- + Use your phone normally while watching
- + Built-in ad blocker
Screen Mirroring
- - Mirrors your entire phone screen
- - Lower quality due to compression
- - Drains battery quickly
- - Phone is locked to the mirrored content
- - Shows notifications and private info on TV
Cast Phone to TV on Android
On Android, CastBrowser supports all major casting protocols. Download it from the Google Play Store, open any website, and cast detected videos to Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, or any DLNA-compatible Smart TV. Android users also benefit from background casting — the app continues streaming even with the screen off, and you can control playback from the notification panel.
For a detailed Android walkthrough, see our Android casting guide.
Cast Phone to TV on iPhone
CastBrowser for iPhone gives you the same casting experience. Install it from the App Store and cast web videos to Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, and DLNA Smart TVs. Unlike AirPlay (which only works with Apple TV and AirPlay-compatible TVs), CastBrowser works with virtually every TV and streaming device on your network.
For the full iPhone walkthrough, see our iPhone casting guide.
Supported Video Formats
CastBrowser detects and casts videos in 20+ formats, including live streams:
Why Use CastBrowser to Cast Phone to TV?
- Works with any website: Unlike apps tied to specific services, CastBrowser works with any site that has video content.
- Automatic video detection: No need to copy URLs or fiddle with settings — CastBrowser finds videos for you.
- Universal device support: Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, DLNA Smart TVs, and Web Receiver — all in one app.
- Built-in ad blocker: Enjoy a cleaner browsing experience — blocks ads, popups, bad redirections, and trackers.
- Completely free: No subscription, no hidden fees, no account required.
- Cast local files too: Beyond web videos, you can cast videos and audio files stored on your phone.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- TV not showing up: Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Restart your phone and TV, and disable any VPN.
- Video not detected: Play the video on the webpage first, then check CastBrowser's video list. Some sites require a few seconds of playback before detection.
- Buffering or lag: Switch to a 5GHz Wi-Fi band if available, lower the video quality, and close other apps using bandwidth.
- Casting stops when phone screen turns off: On Android, disable battery optimization for CastBrowser in your phone's settings.
- Audio but no video (or vice versa): Try a different video quality option, or restart the cast session.
Alternative: Use Web Receiver
If you are having trouble with Chromecast, DLNA, or other casting methods, CastBrowser also includes a Web Receiver feature. Open a web browser on your TV (like the built-in browser on your Smart TV or any device with a browser), navigate to the link CastBrowser gives you, and the video will play directly in the browser on your TV. This works with any TV or device that has a web browser — no special hardware or casting support required.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cast my phone to my TV wirelessly?
To cast your phone to a TV wirelessly, install CastBrowser from the Google Play Store (Android) or Apple App Store (iPhone) — it is free with no account required. Connect both your phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network. Open CastBrowser, browse to any website with video content, and the app automatically detects every playable video on the page, including HLS, DASH, MP4, MKV, and WebM streams. Tap a video, select your preferred quality, then tap the cast icon and choose your TV from the list. CastBrowser supports all major casting protocols — Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Samsung Smart TV and other DLNA-compatible devices, AirPlay (iOS), and Web Receiver. The video stream goes directly to your TV, which plays it natively at full quality while your phone acts as a lightweight remote control.
What is the difference between casting and screen mirroring?
Casting and screen mirroring both put phone content on a TV screen, but they work in fundamentally different ways. With casting (as used by CastBrowser), the app extracts the actual video stream URL from the webpage and sends it directly to the TV. The TV fetches and plays the video natively — at full resolution up to 4K, with no lag, and your phone is free to use normally. Battery usage is minimal because the phone just acts as a remote. With screen mirroring, your phone captures its entire screen 30 times per second, compresses those frames into a video feed, and streams that to the TV in real time. The result is lower quality (typically 720p or less), a 1-2 second lag, heavy battery drain, and your phone is locked to the mirrored content. For watching web videos on a TV, casting is always the better choice.
Can I cast phone to TV without Chromecast?
Yes. CastBrowser lets you cast from your phone to many types of TVs without Chromecast. It supports Roku (all streaming players and Roku TVs), Amazon Fire TV (Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Edition TVs), and DLNA/UPnP — which is built into virtually every Smart TV from Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Hisense, and TCL. On iPhone, it also supports AirPlay for Apple TV and AirPlay 2-compatible TVs. The Web Receiver feature works with any TV or device that has a modern web browser on the same network — no special hardware required. In total, CastBrowser supports six distinct casting protocols, making it compatible with virtually every TV manufactured in the last decade. No Chromecast dongle is needed for any of these protocols.
Is CastBrowser free?
Currently, CastBrowser is completely free on both Android and iPhone with no hidden costs. There is no subscription, no one-time purchase, no in-app purchases, and no account required. Every feature is included from first launch: all six casting protocols (Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, DLNA, AirPlay, Web Receiver), a built-in ad blocker, automatic video detection across 20+ formats, video quality selection, subtitle support for SRT and VTT files, local file casting, background casting with screen off (Android), and playback resumption. Download it from the Google Play Store or App Store, open any website with a video, and you can be casting in under two minutes — no upgrades, no trial periods, no feature locks.
Why is my TV not showing up when I try to cast?
The most common reason your TV is not showing up is that your phone and TV are on different Wi-Fi networks. Many routers broadcast separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks — make sure both devices are on the exact same one. If that looks correct, try these steps: restart both your phone and TV; disable any VPN or firewall app on your phone, as these block local network discovery; check your TV's network or media settings and confirm that media sharing or DLNA is enabled; and verify your router does not have client isolation enabled, which prevents devices from communicating. For Samsung TVs, go to Settings → General → Network and confirm Device Connect Manager is set to Allow All. As a last resort, CastBrowser's Web Receiver feature works regardless of these restrictions — just open it in any browser on your TV.
Cast Phone to TV for Free
Download CastBrowser and start casting web videos from your phone to your TV in seconds.