Screen Mirroring to TV from Android & iPhone
Screen mirroring copies your whole phone screen to the TV — useful for apps and photos, but soft, laggy, and battery-hungry for video. Here's how to mirror from Android and iPhone, and why, when you just want to watch a web video, casting the stream with CastBrowser is the better tool.
What is screen mirroring?
Screen mirroring sends a live, exact copy of your phone's display to the TV — interface, notifications, everything — using Miracast or Smart View on Android and AirPlay on iPhone. Because the whole screen streams continuously, it drains battery and can look soft or laggy.
Casting is different: it sends only the video stream, so the TV plays it at full quality and your phone becomes a remote. For web video, casting with CastBrowser is the smoother choice.
Skip laggy mirroring — cast web video to your TV at full quality with CastBrowser, free.
Screen Mirroring vs Casting: The Key Difference
These two words get used interchangeably, but they work very differently — and picking the right one is the difference between a crisp picture and a frustrating one.
- Screen mirroring copies your entire screen to the TV in real time. The phone has to stay awake and keep rendering, so battery drains fast, notifications pop up on the big screen, and video often looks softer than the source because the whole display is being re-encoded on the fly.
- Casting sends only the video stream to the TV. The TV plays it at its own native quality, your phone turns into a remote you can lock or use for other things, and nothing private from your screen ends up on display.
Mirroring is great for showing an app, a presentation, or photos. For watching a video from a website, casting wins on quality, battery, and privacy every time.
How to Screen Mirror an Android Phone to a TV
- Connect your Android phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Swipe down to open Quick Settings and tap Smart View, Cast, or Screen Mirroring (the name varies by brand; Samsung uses Smart View).
- Pick your TV from the list of Miracast- or Chromecast-compatible devices.
- Your whole screen now appears on the TV. Open the video you want to watch.
If the goal is just a web video, you can skip mirroring entirely: open the site in CastBrowser, start the video, and cast only the stream. See casting from Android to TV.
One app for Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, Samsung and DLNA — cast web video with CastBrowser.
How to Screen Mirror an iPhone to a TV
- Connect your iPhone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open Control Center and tap Screen Mirroring.
- Select an AirPlay-compatible TV or Apple TV from the list.
- Your iPhone screen appears on the TV. Open the video you want to watch.
iPhone mirroring only works with AirPlay-compatible TVs. To reach Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, or DLNA TVs — and to send just the video instead of your whole screen — cast with CastBrowser instead. See casting from iPhone to TV.
When Mirroring Falls Short (and Casting Wins)
- Battery drain: mirroring keeps your screen and radio working hard the whole time. Casting lets you lock the phone while the video plays.
- Picture quality: a cast stream plays at the TV's native quality; a mirrored screen is re-encoded and usually softer.
- Privacy: mirroring puts your notifications and everything else on the TV. Casting shows only the video.
- Device support: mirroring needs matching tech on both ends (Miracast, AirPlay). CastBrowser reaches Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, LG, and DLNA from one app.
CastBrowser is intentionally a casting app, not a screen-mirroring app: it detects the video on a web page and sends just that stream to the TV. For a deeper comparison, see casting your phone to TV and casting a website to your TV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is screen mirroring?
Screen mirroring sends an exact, live copy of your phone's display to a TV — including notifications and the interface — using Miracast or Smart View on Android and AirPlay on iPhone. Because the whole screen streams continuously, it drains battery and can look soft or laggy. Casting instead sends only the video stream for full-quality playback.
How do I screen mirror my Android phone to a TV?
Open Quick Settings and tap Smart View, Cast, or Screen Mirroring, then pick a Miracast- or Chromecast-compatible TV (Samsung phones use Smart View). Both devices must support the same mirroring tech and be on the same network. For a single web video, casting it with CastBrowser is usually smoother than mirroring the whole screen.
How do I screen mirror my iPhone to a TV?
Open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, and select an AirPlay-compatible TV or Apple TV. This mirrors your entire iPhone screen. For a single web video, casting it with CastBrowser sends just the video and also works on Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, Samsung, and DLNA TVs that may not support AirPlay.
What is the difference between screen mirroring and casting?
Mirroring copies your whole phone screen in real time, so the phone stays awake, drains battery, and shows notifications on the TV. Casting sends only the video stream, which the TV plays at its own quality while your phone becomes a remote. For web video, casting is almost always better.
Can I screen mirror to a Roku?
Roku supports Miracast mirroring from some Android and Windows devices, but not from iPhone, and mirrored web video is often laggy and low quality. Roku doesn't support Google Cast at all. For web video, casting the stream with CastBrowser over Roku's native protocol is more reliable.
Does CastBrowser do screen mirroring?
No — CastBrowser is a casting app, not a screen-mirroring app, by design. Rather than copying your whole screen, it detects the video on a web page and sends just that stream to the TV at full quality. That means sharper video, much less battery drain, no on-screen notifications, and support for more TVs than mirroring reaches.
Cast Web Video — No Mirroring Needed
Download CastBrowser for free and send web videos to your TV at full quality from Android or iPhone — sharper than mirroring, with far less battery drain.