How to connect an Android phone to LG TV

Mobile phone and TV can be connected in several ways. Some options only allow you to play content stored on the device, while others make a real smart set-top box out of a smartphone. In this guide, we’ll help you connect your Android smartphone to your LG TV, which can be for different reasons like sharing the mobile screen onto the TV, transferring files, playing media files, etc.

Most well-known brands of smartphones (Lenovo, Asus, Honor, Huawei, Samsung, or others) can be connected wirelessly to TVs. Problems may arise when trying to connect with a cable. The TV will not detect the connected smartphone, or the picture will not be displayed.

One of the main reasons for the absence of a signal is the incompatibility of the information transfer format between devices. To solve the problem, you need to purchase a special adapter. It is best to use the Mobile High-Definition Link adapter as it is supported by all smartphones.

Still, most Android devices connect to the TV without any problems.

Different ways to connect an Android mobile to LG TV

As already mentioned, you can connect a smartphone via a wireless or wired connection.

Wireless options

Wireless methods work when a Wi-Fi adapter is installed on the TV. If it is missing, it can be purchased separately. A Wi-Fi adapter is built into all smart-tv devices. For other models, you can purchase the LG AN WF100 or LG AN WF500 Wi-Fi adapter. They are made in the form of a flash drive and are inserted into the USB connector.

YouTube

To broadcast videos from YouTube video hosting, you need to do the following:

• Download the official app to your phone and run. After that, you need to go to “Settings” and select “View on TV”. Then you need to follow the prompts.
• This application must also be installed and running on the TV. In the settings, select the connection type “Manual“.
• A code appears on the TV screen, which must be entered on the smartphone and click “Add”.
• Now you need to select your LG TV and allow the connection.

Miracast

Miracast is one of the new standards for information transmission, which uses wireless channels for this. The TV model must support this technology. These models include LG OLED55B7V, LG 55SJ810V, LG NANO, and other modern devices. Earlier models (up to 2018) do not have this technology.

In this case, it will be possible to display absolutely any content from the smartphone, including applications.

Important! When using this connection method, both devices must be connected to the same network.

The connection is made as follows:

1. Go to TV settings.
2. Select the “Network” section and activate the Miracast mode.
3. Download the Miracast application to your phone. Go to settings and enable the Miracast option.
4. In the TV menu, you need to select a smartphone and confirm the connection. After that, the device synchronization process will begin.

The advantage of this technology is the high quality of information transfer. Plus, your phone runs out of battery much more slowly than other connection methods.

Smart Share

If the phone is also from LG, then it would be best to use the proprietary Smart Share option. It must be enabled on TV and smartphone. After that, you need to select your phone on the TV, automatic synchronization will begin. A picture from the smartphone will appear on the screen.

Wi-Fi

The TV must have a built-in Wi-Fi adapter that has the Wi-Fi Direct function. It is present in all devices released after 2012. Phone connection is performed as follows:

1. On your smartphone, you need to go to the settings and select the “Wireless networks” tab.
2. Go to the “Wi-Fi” section. Click on the 3 dots located in the upper right corner and select “Wi-Fi Direct”.
3. The phone will automatically search for networks for Wi-Fi Direct connections.
4. Now you need to take the remote control from the TV and in the main menu go to the “Network” section, click on “Wi-Fi Direct“.
5. You need to select the phone model and confirm the connection. Synchronization of devices starts.

This method has certain advantages. For example, it doesn’t require a router.

Chromecast

The TV must additionally have a Chromecast. It connects to the device using an HDMI cable to one of the connectors located on the back panel.

After that, the set-top box must be connected to your home wireless network. Then the sequence of actions is as follows:

1. The Google Home application is downloaded to the phone.
2. The program starts up. Through it, you need to select a device for broadcasting content from a smartphone.
3. After connecting to the set-top box, you can select the required media files and start viewing.

Wired connection

In addition to wireless methods, there are also options that involve the use of a wired connection.

Via USB

When connecting a smartphone via a USB cable, the device will be used as a storage device, that is, the screen will not be duplicated. Can’t launch apps or play games. You can only run individual files.

Most smartphones are connected using the following algorithm:

1. Using the USB cable supplied with the phone, you need to connect the mobile device to the TV.
2. On LG TV, open the main menu, where you need to select the USB input as the signal source. In some cases, you need to select the correct port number.
3. After connecting the devices, an explorer will appear, where you can select the file you want to run. All control is carried out using the remote control.

HDMI

Connecting via an HDMI cable is considered the easiest to implement. It is advisable that the smartphone has a mini HDMI input, as this will allow direct connections. But this is quite a rarity. Among such models are Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 White, Sony Xperia Z C6602, HTC One M9 Gunmetal. For other phone models, you need a microUSB-HDMI adapter.

HDMI connection process:

1. One end of the cable must be inserted into the socket located on the TV, and the other into the adapter. The adapter plugs into the micro USB socket on the smartphone.
2. Now you need to turn on the TV and go to the main menu, then select the HDMI port as the signal source.
3. After that, you should start setting the screen resolution so that the picture is displayed at full size.
4. After connecting the devices, the smartphone’s desktop appears on the screen. The disadvantages of this method include the fact that not all mobile phones support HDMI connections.

The difference in connecting Android and iPhone devices

The connection methods are almost identical. But still, there are certain nuances.

An iPhone can be connected to a TV using the Apple TV set-top box; it will not connect to smart set-top boxes on Android. Conversely, phones with Android operating systems cannot connect to Apple TV.

Also, when connecting an iPhone via HDMI, another adapter is required. It’s called Lightning – HDMI.

All other methods work with Android phones and iPhones.

What does the connection give?

Connecting a smartphone to a TV allows you to expand the functionality of devices. The phone turns into a kind of projector, as the image is transferred to a large screen. The connection allows:

• View photos include videos and other content on the TV screen.
• Run games, instant messengers, and other applications downloaded from the Play Store.
• Browse various sites on TV.
• Conduct demos, presentations, read e-books.
• In addition, you can download an application with which you can use your smartphone as a remote control. This is especially useful if the remote control is broken or does not work well. The app is called LG TV Remote.

Connecting your smartphone to an LG TV is much easier than it seems at first glance. There are many ways to do this. Which one to choose depends on the purpose of the connection.