Modern Xiaomi TVs running on Android TV or Google TV are equipped with built-in Chromecast technology, which allows you to turn the monitor screen into a powerful multimedia center. This feature opens up wide opportunities for the user to wirelessly transfer images and sound from a smartphone, tablet or laptop directly to a large diagonal. Chromecast in this case acts not as a separate console, but as a hardware and software module integrated into the motherboard of the TV.
Owners of Xiaomi equipment often wonder why this module is needed and how it differs from the usual Miracast or DLNA. The main advantage lies in the stability of the connection and support for high-resolution codecs such as 4K HDR. You do not need to buy additional dongle devices from Google, as all the necessary functionality is already “sewn” in the firmware of Mi TV.
The technology is based on Google Cast protocols that allow you to manage content remotely, which means that your phone becomes a remote control, and the TV takes the role of a renderer, downloading videos directly from the Internet, which saves battery life for a mobile device. Understanding the principles of Chromecast built-in will help you to maximize the capabilities of your smart TV.
The principles of the built-in Google Cast
Google Cast, the technology behind Chromecast, works differently than just mirroring the screen: When you choose content to broadcast, your mobile device sends only a link to the media file and control commands to the TV, and the TV downloads the data stream itself through the Wi-Fi router, which provides high quality images without jerking, since traffic does not pass through the smartphone.
In Xiaomi TVs, this process is optimized at the Wi-Fi driver level. To work correctly, both devices must be on the same local network. DIAL (Discovery And Launch) allows applications on the phone to automatically detect the TV on the network and offer a broadcast button.
⚠️ Note: If your router is set to isolate client devices (AP Television and phone won’t see each other, even if they’re on the same Wi-Fi network.
It's important to differentiate between modes of operation. Media Casting only broadcasts a specific video or photo, and you can continue to use the phone for other tasks. Screen Casting is completely duplicated, which is useful for presentations or games, but requires more resources and a stable communication channel.
- 📡 Broadcasting is carried out over a local Wi-Fi network, the Internet on the phone can be turned off (if the content is already buffered or local).
- 🎮 Delay input (input lag) in the broadcast mode of the screen is minimal, but depends on the power of the router.
- 🔋 The smartphone consumes much less power, as it does not decode the video stream in real time.
The system automatically selects the optimal resolution based on the TV’s capabilities and network speed. If you are using the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 or later, 4K support will be activated by default if the relevant content is available.
How to activate and configure the broadcast
To get started with Chromecast on a Xiaomi TV, you don’t usually need to have a complicated setup, as the feature is activated by default. However, there are a number of options worth checking to ensure stable performance. First of all, make sure that your TV is connected to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network, as it provides more bandwidth for video streaming.
On a mobile device, you need to install the Google Home app, which serves as the main control center for smart home and Cast devices. Once installed, the app will automatically scan the network and prompt you to add your Xiaomi TV to the list of devices. If automatic detection does not work, you can perform manual binding through QR-code that is sometimes displayed in the TV settings menu.
☑️ Checking before connection
The process of setting up is this: launch the Google Home app, click on the plus to add the device and select "Configure a new device." The system will suggest selecting the house where the device is located and will start searching. When your Mi TV name appears, select it and confirm the matching codes on the phone and TV screen.
After successful pairing, it is recommended to go to the settings of the TV through the Settings menu → Apps → Google Cast (the path may vary depending on the firmware version). Here you can change the name of the device to be recognizable in the list, and set up a power saving mode that does not need to turn off the Wi-Fi module in sleep mode.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi frequency | 5 GHz | Stable 4K stream without buffering |
| Protocol | WPA2/WPA3 | Secure connection and compatibility |
| Name of device | Living Room TV | Ease of selection in the list of devices |
| Guest network | Off. | You need a network for both devices. |
Broadcasting content from apps and browser
The most popular Chromecast scenario on Xiaomi TV is watching videos from streaming services. YouTube, Netflix, ivi and many others have a built-in broadcast button (a rectangle icon with waves), which is tapped in the app on your smartphone, the video starts playing on the TV, and the phone turns into a remote control.
The thing about Google Chrome on Android or PC is that you can stream any tab you want, and you can display content from sites that don't have native Cast protocol support, and you can click on the three-dot menu in your browser and select "Cast."
Why does video slow down when broadcasting from the browser?
When broadcasting from the browser, it is important to consider that the phone will actively consume battery power and may heat up.In addition, the orientation of the phone screen will be duplicated on the TV, so to watch video in horizontal mode, the phone also needs to turn.
For users who want to stream local files (video from the phone’s memory), the VLC for Android app or Xiaomi’s built-in media player are great. They support the Cast protocol and allow you to open files of any formats that the native TV player may not “understand”.
- 🎬 On YouTube, click on the Cast icon in the top corner of the video to launch on TV.
- 🌐 In Chrome, use the Translate menu to show tabs or the entire screen.
- 📂 Local files are better opened through specialized players with support DLNA/Cast.
The quality of the content you stream depends on the speed of your Internet connection. To view video in 4K, a speed of at least 25 Mbps is recommended. If the Internet is slow, Chromecast will automatically reduce the quality to 1080p or 720p to avoid constant stops for buffering.
Screen Mirroring (Screen Mirroring)
Miracast, or Miracast, is often confused with Chromecast, but on Xiaomi TVs, these technologies can run in parallel or switch depending on the source. Mirror is useful when you need to show the contents of a screen that is not available on the Internet: settings menu, a game without Cast support or a desktop.
In Android, the feature is called Screen Cast and is in the notification curtain or in the Connected Devices settings. When activated, the phone will start searching for available displays. Your Xiaomi TV should be defined as an available wireless display device.
⚠️ Attention: When mirroring the screen of the phone does not go out, which can lead to its overheating and rapid discharge of the battery with prolonged use.
For gameplay, delay can be noticeable, especially in dynamic shooters or races. This is due to the time it takes to encode an image on your phone, transfer over Wi-Fi and decode on your TV. For casual games or turn-based strategies, delay is not critical.
In some versions of MIUI for TV firmware, you can adjust the resolution and frame rate for mirror mode manually to strike a balance between picture quality and smoothness, access to these settings is often hidden in the engineering menu or available through third-party apps.
💡
Use the "Game" mode in your TV's image settings when mirroring to minimize input delay, although this may slightly degrade the color gamut.
Compatible with iOS and macOS devices
Owners of Apple equipment often ask how Chromecast works on Xiaomi with their devices. Direct native AirPlay protocol in older Xiaomi models may not be, but the built-in Chromecast makes it easy to stream content. For videos from apps (YouTube, Netflix), the process is identical to Android: just click the Cast button.
To mirror an iPhone or iPad screen on Xiaomi TVs without AirPlay 2 support, a third-party app will be required. Popular solutions like Replica or Web Video Caster use WebRTC or local server technology to transfer images, and create a bridge between Apple and Google protocols.
If your Xiaomi TV is running on Google TV (new shell), AirPlay 2 support is often natively built in, in which case the iOS control button will appear, and you can choose your TV without installing additional software.
- 🍎 For video use the Cast button in iOS apps – works natively.
- 📱 For iPhone screen, use bridge apps (Replica, AirScreen) if there is no AirPlay 2.
- 💻 For Mac, you can use the Chrome browser and broadcast the tab.
Transfer quality from Apple devices is usually high, but depends heavily on the stability of the Wi-Fi network. Apple protocols are sensitive to data loss packets, so a dual-band router with support for 802.11ac or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) is a prerequisite for comfortable operation.
Diagnostics and troubleshooting
Despite the reliability of the technology, users may face problems: the TV is not visible in the list of devices, the video is interrupted or no sound. The first step in diagnosis should always be to check the network.
A common cause of failures is a crowded cache of the Google Cast service on your TV, which can be cleared through the settings menu: Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google Cast → Clear the cache. This will not delete your data, but will reset temporary files that may have been corrupted.
If the problem persists, try restarting the router. Routers that run for weeks without turning off may not distribute correctly. IP-Block multicast traffic required for Chromecast.
As a last resort, if a particular app doesn't work, check its updates in the Google Play Store.Older versions of apps may use legacy Cast SDKs that are incompatible with newer versions of Xiaomi TV firmware.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to reset your TV settings to factory just because of Cast issues until you have tried rebooting and cleaning methods.