How to transfer an image from your phone to your Xiaomi TV

Owners of modern technology often face the need to display the contents of a mobile device on a large screen to watch a movie, presentation or photos in high quality. Image broadcasting has become the de facto standard for multimedia leisure, allowing you to turn a regular TV into a full-fledged media center. Xiaomi ecosystem offers many built-in tools that make this process as simple and fast as possible without requiring complex equipment.

There are several proven ways to do this, each with its own features and use cases, depending on your TV model, Android operating system version, and whether you have a stable wireless connection, and in this article, we will look at all the current options, from built-in Mi Drop features to wired HDMI connection.

Keep in mind that the quality of data transfer is directly dependent on the bandwidth of your local network. If you plan to watch video in 4K resolution, you should pay attention to the frequency of the Wi-Fi router. Modern protocols allow you to transmit video stream almost without delay, but this requires the correct configuration of both devices.

Using the built-in Mi Cast function for wireless transmission

The most popular and convenient way is to use Mi Cast technology, which is built into the shell of MIUI and HyperOS. This method does not require the installation of third-party applications and works on the principle of Miracast, providing direct video transmission. To get started, make sure that your smartphone and TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, as this is a critical condition.

Open the control panel on your phone, swipe down from the top edge of the screen, and find the "Translation" or "Mi Cast" icon. If the icon is hidden, click on three dots or the edit icon to add it to the active menu. Once the feature is turned on, the phone will start searching for available devices within range.

• 📺 Click on the name of your TV in the list of found devices.
• 📱 Confirm the connection on the TV screen if you receive a request.
• 🔒 Make sure that antivirus or firewall does not block the connection.

Importantly, the Mi Cast duplicates the entire screen of the smartphone, including notifications and system sounds.This is ideal for showing the interface of apps, games or web pages, but may not be suitable if you want to use the phone for other tasks in parallel. Some Xiaomi TV models require manual activation of signal reception in the app menu.

⚠️ Note: When using wireless broadcasting, the smartphone battery discharges much faster due to the high load on the Wi-Fi module and processor.

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To reduce latency (lags) during games, try to be closer to the router and use a 5GHz network if your router and TV support this standard.

Broadcasting via Google Home and Chromecast

Many modern Xiaomi TVs are based on the Android TV operating system, which allows for native integration with Google services. Chromecast built-in (formerly Google Cast) is one of the most stable ways to transfer media content. Unlike Miracast, it often does not duplicate the screen, but transfers a link to the stream, which reduces the load on the phone.

To get started, you’ll need the Google Home app, which you can download from the Play Market. Once installed, open the app and find your TV on the list of available devices. The app’s interface is intuitive and offers different use cases.

If you want to stream the contents of a Chrome browser tab or a specific YouTube video, just click on the broadcast icon (a rectangle with Wi-Fi waves) inside the source app itself. This will allow you to control playback from your phone using it as a remote, while the TV will buffer the stream itself.

• 🌐 Open the Google Home app on your smartphone.
• 📺 Select your TV from the list of devices.
• 🖼️ Click on "Translate Screen" for full duplication.

It’s worth mentioning that the picture quality of the Chromecast is often better than that of the standard Mi Cast, thanks to more efficient compression algorithms, but it requires a stable internet connection to work, as some of the traffic goes through Google’s servers.

Wired connection via HDMI and USB-C adapter

In situations where the wireless network is unstable or you need to transfer the image in maximum quality without compression, the optimal solution is a wired connection. For this, you will need a special USB-C to HDMI adapter that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode. Not all Xiaomi smartphones support video output through the charging port, so this point should be specified in the specification of your model.

Connecting is simple: insert the adapter into the smartphone connector, and connect to the adapter HDMI cable, the second end of which is inserted into the TV. After switching the source of the signal (Source) on the TV to the appropriate port, the image should appear automatically. If this does not happen, check the settings for the output of the image in the Settings → Screen.

Using the cable ensures that there are no compression artifacts and interruptions, which is especially important for gamers or when showing static text and small details. In addition, it is often possible to simultaneously charge the device through an active adapter, allowing for long presentations without the risk of battery drain.

Broadcasting through DLNA and third-party applications

If your goal is to play specific files (video, photo, music) rather than duplicate the entire screen, then the technology is the same. DLNA This is the most energy efficient way, and in this case, the phone acts as a server, and the Xiaomi TV acts as a renderer. MIUI or third-party applications like VLC or LocalCast.

Open the video file in the player, press the "Cast" or "Translate" button, and select your TV. The file will start to be transmitted over the local network, and you can turn off the smartphone screen or run other applications without interrupting playback on the big screen. This is the perfect scenario for watching downloaded movies.

For more advanced users, you can set up a media server that will automatically index the content library, but for one-time operations, you need a standard file manager functionality, and the main thing is to make sure that the TV allows access to media files from the local network.

• 📂 Open the video in the gallery or file manager.
• 📡 Click on the "Translation" icon" (DLNA/Cast).
• 📺 Select a Xiaomi TV from the list.

The advantage of this method is that it can control playback with minimal energy consumption, and the TV itself decodes the video stream, unloading the smartphone processor, while the quality of the picture remains original, without the additional compression characteristic of streaming the screen.

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DLNA is ideal for viewing video files, as it does not require a permanent active smartphone screen and saves battery life.

Solving Connection and Delay Problems

Despite the ease of setting, users sometimes face problems: the TV does not see the phone, the image twitches or there is no sound. Most often the reason lies in the settings of the router. Make sure that both devices are connected to the same frequency (for example, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), although modern routers with Smart Connect function must correctly route traffic.

If you see a desynchronization of sound and image (lag), try to lower the output resolution in the broadcast settings or close the background apps on the phone that consume Internet traffic. It is also worth checking for firmware updates for the Xiaomi TV, as manufacturers often release patches that improve the stability of the Mi Cast and AirPlay.

⚠️ Note: Using a guest Wi-Fi network can block communication between devices, as security protocols isolate customers from each other.

In rare cases, resetting network settings on both devices helps.Router reboot also often solves problems with hanging. DHCP-server that cannot properly assign IP-address.

Frequent questions and additional opportunities

The image transfer functionality is constantly expanding, and users often ask questions about specific use cases. For example, many people wonder whether it is possible to broadcast the screen to several TVs at once. Xiaomi standard tools usually allow you to connect to only one output device, but there are specialized applications for multiroom systems.

Also relevant is the security issue: Are your personal data transmitted over open Wi-Fi? When using Miracast and DLNA protocols, the connection is often established directly (P2P) or encrypted within the local network, however, using public networks in cafes or hotels to broadcast confidential information is not recommended.

It is important for Apple appliance owners to know that Xiaomi’s new TVs support AirPlay 2, which allows iPhone and iPad owners to stream content as easily as Android users by simply swiping in Control Point and selecting Screen Replay.