Modern Xiaomi smartphones have powerful displays, but they often don’t have the capacity to view high-resolution content on a large screen. Users often face the need to display images from a mobile device to a TV to show photos to family, launch a presentation or just play games. Fortunately, the Mi and Redmi ecosystem offers a variety of built-in tools to accomplish this task without having to buy additional hardware.
In this article, we will take a look at all available broadcasting methods, from standard wireless protocols to specialized applications, how to use the Translation feature in the MIUI shell, how to set up Google Home to work with Chromecast, and the nuances of Miracast technology, and will also touch on wired connectivity options for situations where Wi-Fi is unavailable or unstable.
The setup process may vary depending on your TV model and the Android version of your smartphone.We’ll look at the universal action algorithms that will work for most use cases and help avoid common device synchronization errors.
Wireless streaming via built-in Mi Drop and Broadcasting
The fastest way to display an image is to use the native MIUI shell feature. In Xiaomi smartphones, it is often referred to simply as “Translation” or “Wireless Monitor,” a method based on the Miracast standard, which is supported by most modern Smart TVs, including Xiaomi Mi TV models, as well as devices from other brands such as Samsung and LG.
To get started, you need to make sure that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. This is a critical condition, since video streaming requires a stable local connection. If a router distributes a network at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, it is desirable that both the phone and the TV are on the same subnet, although modern routers often combine them automatically.
To activate the function, open the notification curtain and find the Translation icon. If it's not on the first screen, click on a pencil or three menu editing dots and drag the icon to the active area. Once turned on, the phone will start searching for available devices. Your TV should appear on the list, often with the prefix "[TV]" or model name.
⚠️ Warning: When you first connect to your TV, you may have a request for permission to access your TV. Use the remote to confirm the connection, or the process will not be completed.
The quality of the image depends on the power of the Wi-Fi signal. If you notice a sound delay or a “teared” image, try to zoom in on the router or switch the TV to a wired connection to the network (Ethernet), if this is possible.
Using Google Cast Technology and Mi Home App
Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi TVs with Android TV or PatchWall can take advantage of the brand’s ecosystem benefits. The official Mi Home app allows not only to manage a smart home, but also to mirror the screen, a method that often works more stable than the standard Miracast, since it uses Xiaomi’s own routing servers.
To implement this, install the Mi Home app from Google Play and log in to your Mi Account. Make sure your TV is added to the app. Then select your TV from the app's main menu and find Translation or Cast screen. The system automatically offers available display options.
Google Cast (Chromecast built-in) technology deserves special attention. If your TV supports this feature (which is typical for Android TV models), you can stream content directly from apps. For example, on YouTube or Netflix, just click on the icon of the rectangle with waves, and the video will run on the TV while the phone will act as a remote.
The advantage of Google Cast is that it can use the smartphone for other tasks while viewing, and unlike full screen mirroring, video streams directly from the server to the TV, saving the phone's battery and reducing the load on the processor.
| Method | Delay (Latency) | Image quality | Battery consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miracast (Translation) | Low. | High (Full HD/4K) | High-pitched |
| Google Cast | Minimum | Adaptive (up to 4K HDR) | Low. |
| DLNA | No (media only) | Original file | Medium. |
| HDMI Cable | Absent. | Maximum. | Charging. |
Broadcasting through third-party applications and DLNA
If the built-in tools don't work or the functionality isn't enough, third-party solutions come to the rescue. One of the most popular protocols for media transfer is DLNA. It allows you to stream photos, videos and music from your phone to your TV without having to duplicate the entire screen of your smartphone.
For full screen mirroring (when you can see everything on the phone, including menus and games), AirDroid Cast or TeamViewer has proven itself, which requires installing the client part on both the phone and the TV (if it is Android TV), or using the web version through the browser on Smart TV.
The setup process in third-party applications usually comes down to scanning. QR-And then you open a browser or an app on the TV, and you generate code that's read by the camera on the smartphone, and then you set up a secure connection.
Why can third-party apps slow down?
Using third-party software provides flexibility that system tools cannot afford, such as streaming a screen over the Internet to a remote TV, not just within a single Wi-Fi network, but keeping data security in mind when using unknown services.
Wired connection via USB-C to HDMI
When wireless connectivity is impossible or maximum quality is required without compression, the only correct solution is cable. For Xiaomi smartphones with USB Type-C port, there are special adapters that support the USB-C Alt Mode standard, which allows you to transmit video directly to the HDMI input of the TV.
It is important to understand that not all phones support cable output, as the flagship Mi series (e.g. Mi 10, Mi 11, Mi 12 Ultra) and some Xiaomi 13/14 series models usually have this feature. Budget models Redmi and Poco most often have a USB 2.0 port that can not transmit video signals, limited to charging and data transfer.
To connect, you'll need a USB-C HDMI adapter or docking station, connect the adapter to your phone, and then you'll have an HDMI cable that goes to your TV, and when you connect, the phone will automatically detect the external display, and you'll see a menu for choosing your MIUI mode: Mirror or Extended Desktop (like Desktop).
💡
If the image on the TV does not appear immediately, try to switch the source of the signal (Source/Input) on the TV manually by selecting the appropriate HDMI port to which the cable is connected.
The main advantage of the wired method is that it has no delays, which makes it ideal for games where every millisecond of reaction is important, and also, through an active adapter, the phone can charge simultaneously, which solves the problem of fast battery discharge when playing.
Configure permission and frequency of update
Once connected successfully, there is often a question of picture quality. Android and MIUI usually automatically select the optimal resolution, but sometimes manually you need it. If the image looks stretched or has black fields around the edges, you need to change the output settings.
Go to the phone settings, look for Connected Devices or Screen, and then for Translation (when it's active). There's a resolution setting available. Most TVs have 1920×1080 at 60Hz. If your TV supports 4K, you can try 3840×2160, but that will add a lot of load to the Wi-Fi channel.
Update frequency also plays a role. The standard for watching movies is 24Hz or 60Hz. If you are streaming dynamic games, make sure you choose a value of 60Hz or higher if the TV supports 120Hz. Frame rate mismatch can lead to microflashes of the image.
☑️ Verification of broadcast quality
Some users prefer to force the pixel density (DPI) to change in developer mode to make the interface on the TV look larger and readable, but this is a global setup that will change the scale of the interface on the smartphone itself after the broadcast is turned off.
Solving Connection Problems and Errors
Despite the simplicity of the technology, users often face situations where the phone does not see the TV, the most common reason being the isolation of customers on the router (AP Isolation), a security feature that prevents devices connected to Wi-Fi from communicating with each other, and you can check this in the router settings by turning off the option “Isolation of access points”.
Another common scenario is using different frequency bands: If the phone is connected to a 5GHz network and the TV only works at 2.4GHz (or vice versa), some detection protocols (especially older versions of Miracast) may not work, in which case setting up a guest network or networking on a router will help.
If there is sound and no image (black screen), the problem may be HDCP protection. Content from secure sources (e.g. paid movies from online cinemas) will not be broadcast through screen mirroring methods due to copyright restrictions. In such cases, only the built-in Translation function inside the player app itself (YouTube, Netflix) works, not the system screen broadcast.
⚠️ Note: If you are connected through HDMI The adapter is warming, that's OK. However, if the phone is quickly discharged and not charging, maybe the adapter is not powered enough (USB-C Power Delivery).
In rare cases, resetting network settings helps. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This action will remove stored Wi-Fi passwords, but can eliminate software conflicts that prevent device detection.
💡
The stability of the broadcast is 80% dependent on the quality of the Wi-Fi router and the absence of interference in the air, not only on the characteristics of the phone.