You do not need much to connect your phone or tablet to TV using a USB cable. All you need is the USB cable is USB cable to start with.
Both TV and mobile phones have significantly evolved over the years. These days, most TV sets support at least one USB input. Some even support keyboard and mouse inputs while others use USB ports as media file sources.
Phones on the other hand have also evolved significantly. These days, there are phones that support peripherals just like a computer does. It seems you can do almost everything you could do with your laptop from your mobile phone these days.
Why you might want to connect your phone or tablet to your TV
There are two main reasons why you might want to connect your phone or tablet to TV using USB.
- Access the files on the phone or tablet from your TV
One of the major reasons why you might want to connect your phone or tablet to TV. With this, you will be using the storage of your phone or tablet as the external storage for your TV.
This is the best way to connect if you have videos or image files on your phone that you would like to display on your TV.
- Stream directly onto your TV
This is the option if you want to stream the screen of your phone or tablet directly to the TV. This option is very useful if you are playing a game that you would like to rather see on a larger screen.
If you have some videos on your phone that you would like to display on a larger screen, this is also a very good option to go for.
How To Connect your Phone or Tablet to TV Using USB
Since there are two different goals for doing this, I will give you information on how to achieve both goals. All you have to do is to make sure your TV has at least one USB port and an HDMI port as well.
Follow the procedures below.
Connect to access files from your TV
If you only want to access the files on your phone or tablet from your TV, then all you will need to complete this is your phone’s data cable. Most Android phones come with a micro USB cable or a USB Type C.
You should have any of these cables depending on the type of phone you are using. If you have, follow the procedure below.
- Locate the USB port of your TV and connect the USB cable to it. Make sure your TV is turned on before you do this.
- Connect the other end of the USB cable to your mobile phone or tablet.
- Select “Transfer Files” or a similar option on your phone or tablet.
- Take your TV remote and navigate to “Source” and select “USB”. You should be able to see your phone as a drive and you can use the remote to browse the folders and files on your phone from your TV.
You should note that you cannot copy or transfer files using this method. Depending on which files your TV supports, you might be able to view photos, and text files, and play videos and music files.
This particular option is not supported on iPhones and iPads because their storage can not be accessed directly.
Stream directly onto your TV
Streaming is one key feature that allows you to display what you are seeing on your mobile screen on your TV screen. This option requires two major tools.
You will need a micro USB To HDMI, USB Type C to HDMI, or Lightening to HDMI adaptor depending on which phone or tablet you are using. You will also need an HDMI cable.
If you have all these items in place, then follow the procedure below to connect your phone or tablet to your TV.
- The first thing you must do is connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI port of your TV.
- Now connect the other end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI port on the adaptor.
- Connect the micro USB, Type C, or lightning tip of the adaptor to your phone.
- Turn your TV on and use the remote to navigate to “Source” and select “HDMI”.
- Usually, you should see a message on your phone asking you to give permission to the external device. Make sure you click on “Allow”.
That is it, your display should now be replicated on your TV’s screen and whatever you will do on the phone should be seen on the TV as well.
Wireless display
If you are using a smart TV, then it should be easier for you. You do not even need any cable because most smart TVs are built with support for wireless display.
Usually, if you check your smart TV, you should see something under “Sources” like a “Wireless” display. If you have this option, then you can stream directly from your phone to the TV without any cable connection.
Before you start your process, make sure you check if your phone or tablet has built-in wireless casting capabilities. To do this, navigate to your Connections Settings and check if there is the option “Cast” on your phone.
If you do not find anything like that, then download and install “Miracast” or any similar app.
If you have the app installed, follow the procedure below to make a wireless display.
- Make sure both your TV and phone are connected to the same router. Then navigate to “Sources” and select “Wireless Display or WiFi Display” using your TV remote.
- A temporary password will be generated under the TV’s name. Open the Miracast app and if the TV is detected, select it from the Miracast app and type the password you see on the screen into the app.
That is it. Everything you see on your phone screen should be displayed on your TV screen.