Modern media centers are no longer just devices for viewing air channels. Today, Smart TVs based on Android TV or PatchWall from Xiaomi turn the living room into a full-fledged theater. However, embedded applications are sometimes not enough, and it becomes necessary to show photos from a family dinner or run videos from an unverified source directly from a mobile device, at which point users wonder how to watch from a smartphone on a Xiaomi TV without unnecessary wires and complex manipulations.
Fortunately, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers a host of native content streaming tools. You don’t have to search for third-party HDMI cables or buy expensive adapters. Most current models, whether the budget Mi TV Stick or the flagship Mi QLED TV, already feature Wi-Fi modules and wireless data protocols, which allows instant screen duplication or high-resolution multimedia broadcasting.
In this guide, we’ll cover all the current connectivity methods, from standard system features to specialized applications. You’ll learn how to configure Miracast for a full screen copy or use DLNA to stream video. We’ll also touch on the nuances of working with iOS devices, as iPhone owners often face the peculiarities of interaction with Android TV.
Basic requirements and equipment preparation
Before you start setting up, make sure your hardware is ready to sync. A fundamental condition for most wireless protocols is that both devices are on the same LAN. If your smartphone is connected to 4G mobile internet and your TV is connected to your home Wi-Fi router, a direct connection will not be established.
Check the operating system version on your Xiaomi TV. To properly work modern features, it is advisable that the software be updated to the latest available version. You can access the settings via the Settings menu → About TV → System Update. Outdated firmware may not support new codecs or security protocols.
⚠️ Note: When using a guest Wi-Fi network in hotels or offices, the broadcast may be blocked by the network administrator due to isolation of client devices.
Also worth paying attention to is the signal power. To transmit video in 4K or Full HD resolution, you need a stable communication channel. If the router is in another room behind several walls, there may be delays or image artifacts. Ideally, both devices should be in a zone of confident reception of a signal at 5 GHz.
☑️ Checking before connection
Broadcasting through the built-in Mi Cast function
The simplest and most native way Xiaomi engineers have developed is called Mi Cast, which is built directly into the PatchWall shell and doesn’t require any additional software to be installed on the TV, but is based on the Miracast protocol, which allows you to duplicate the screen of your smartphone in real time.
To activate the function on the remote, find the button with the screen image or go to the application menu. You need to select the Wireless screen icon or Broadcast. Once launched, the screen will display a message about waiting for the connection and possibly the name of your device.
Now, on a smartphone, Xiaomi and Redmi devices with MIUI or HyperOS shells just unlock the screen, swipe the notification curtain down and find the Broadcast button. The system will automatically start looking for available displays. Once your TV name appears, click on it to pair.
What to do if the broadcast button is missing?
It is worth noting that when using this method, the screen of the smartphone and the TV are completely synchronized, which means that any notifications coming to the phone will be visible on the large screen, and the battery consumption of the mobile device increases significantly, as the processor actively encodes the video stream.
Using Google Chromecast technology
Because Xiaomi TVs run on Android TV, they have built-in support for Google Cast (formerly known as Chromecast), a more advanced method that allows you to not just duplicate the screen, but transfer content directly from the server to the TV, freeing the smartphone for other tasks.
This method is ideal for streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix or ivi. When you watch an app video on your phone, just click on the characteristic rectangle icon with Wi-Fi waves in the corner of the player. TV.
The main advantage of Chromecast is that once you start playing, you can fold the app, answer a call, or even turn off the screen of your smartphone – the video on the TV will continue to go.
⚠️ Note: Google Cast requires Google Play services to be installed on the smartphone. Some Chinese versions of smartphones do not have any GMS This function may not work properly or require additional adjustments.
If you want to stream a tab from Google Chrome on your computer or phone, use a three-dot menu and select Translate.This will allow you to display any web content, including sites that do not have their own Cast-enabled video player.
Connecting iPhones and Apple devices (AirPlay)
Apple owners often have trouble connecting their iPhone or iPad to an Android TV.The standard AirPlay protocol is not natively supported on an Android TV system, so middleware will be needed to organize communications.
Fortunately, there are many emulator apps available on the Google Play Store on Xiaomi TV, the most popular and stable being AirScreen, AirReceiver or TV Cast. Once you install such an app on your TV, it creates a virtual receiver that your iPhone sees as the native Apple TV device.
The adjustment process is as follows:
- 📺 Run the installed app (such as AirScreen) on your Xiaomi TV and wait for the status “Done” to appear».
- 📱 On iPhone, make sure Wi-Fi is turned on and brush off the “Control Point” curtain».
- 🔗 Click the screen repeat button (two rectangles) and select your TV name from the list.
Once paired successfully, the image from the iPhone will appear on the screen. It is worth considering that the transmission quality and latency depend on the performance of the TV processor and network load. On low-cost Xiaomi models with low RAM, micro-freezes can be observed.
💡
To reduce delay when broadcasting from iPhone, close all background apps on the TV through the Settings menu» → «Applications" to free up RAM.
Multimedia transmission over DLNA and local area network
If your goal is to view personal video archives, photos or listen to music stored in the memory of your smartphone, the most effective will be the use of the DLNA protocol. Unlike screen duplication, this method only transfers the media file, which ensures maximum picture quality and no load on the phone’s battery.
To implement this method, Xiaomi already has a DLNA-enabled player built into its TV (often called Media Player or Gallery) but it is more convenient to use specialized controller apps like BubbleUPnP, VLC for Android or the standard MIUI file manager.
Let’s look at the algorithm of actions on the example of the VLC player:
- Open the video file in the VLC app on your smartphone.
- Click on the broadcast icon in the corner of the screen.
- In the list of renderers, select your Xiaomi TV.
The file will start playing on the big screen, and an important advantage is the ability to control playback (pause, rewind) from the phone, and the phone itself can be used for other tasks or even blocked.
| Method | Delay. | Quality. | Battery load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Cast (Miracast) | Low. | Depends on the signal. | Tall. |
| Google Chromecast | Minimum | Maximum. | Low. |
| AirPlay (via the app) | Medium | Good. | Medium |
| DLNA | Absent. | Original | Minimum |
Troubleshooting and troubleshooting
Despite the ease of setting up, users may encounter technical difficulties. The most common problem is that the TV does not see the smartphone in the list of available devices. 90% of the time, this is solved by checking the Wi-Fi frequency. Make sure that both gadgets are connected to the same frequency (either both at 2.4 GHz or both at 5 GHz), although modern routers often combine them into a single network.
Another common complaint is desynchronization of sound and image or intermittent playback, which indicates a lack of channel bandwidth. Try to turn off other devices that actively consume traffic (torrents, downloads to PC). Also, rebooting the router and cleaning the cache of applications on the TV through the Settings menu → Apps can help.
⚠️ Note: If you try to connect, try changing your network profile from Public to Private or Trusted to allow device detection in your Wi-Fi settings.
In rare cases, the problem lies in antivirus software or firewall on the router, which blocks the ports used by Miracast or DLNA protocols.
💡
The stability of the connection directly depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi signal and the absence of interference in the air, so if persistent problems are considered, it is worth considering the wired connection of the smartphone via USB-C to HDMI adapter.