How to stream your phone screen on Xiaomi Mi Stick: the full guide

Modern media set-top boxes turn a regular TV into a powerful multimedia center, but their potential is fully realized only when a competent pair with a smartphone. Owners of Xiaomi Mi Stick devices often wonder how to effectively bring the image from a mobile gadget to the big screen without using unnecessary wires. This is especially true for showing presentations, watching movies from unverified sources or games with mobile graphics on the TV.

Wireless technologies allow this to happen in a number of ways, each with its own features and software requirements. Wireless connectivity is now the de facto standard, providing enough bandwidth to transmit high-resolution video. But stability depends on the quality of your home Wi-Fi network and the correct router settings.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available connectivity methods, from built-in Android TV features to third-party apps. You will learn how to configure Miracast for Android devices, activate AirPlay for Apple gadgets, and use Google Cast technology. The right configuration will allow you to enjoy content without delay and desynchronize sound.

Preparation of equipment and Wi-Fi network

Before you start setting up, make sure that all components of your multimedia system are ready to work. The basic requirement for any casting technology is to find a smartphone and Xiaomi Mi Stick console on the same local network. If the router supports dual-band mode, it is highly desirable to use a 5 GHz network, since it provides higher data transfer speeds and lower latency compared to the 2.4 GHz band.

Make sure the console software is updated to the latest version. Manufacturers regularly release patches that improve the stability of video transmission protocols. You can check for updates through the system settings menu by selecting About TV or System.

Also, pay attention to the distance between the router and the TV, and the signal should not be interrupted by thick walls or metal structures that can shield radio waves.

⚠️ Note: If your router gives away two different networks (e.g, Home_2.4G and Home_5G), You have to connect your phone and your console to the same one, and being on different subnets can make your devices invisible to each other.

For comfortable work, it is recommended to close the background applications on the smartphone that can consume traffic, such as torrents or cloud syncs, this will free up the channel for transmitting a video stream in high quality.

• 📶 Check that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi router.
• 🔄 Update Xiaomi Mi Stick to the current version.
• 📵 Turn it off. VPN on a smartphone before broadcasting, as it can hide the device in the local network.

Use of the built-in Chromecast feature

The Android TV operating system on which Xiaomi Mi Stick is based has native support for Google Cast technology. This is the most stable and high-quality way to transfer images, especially for content from YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ and other services that support the standard.

You don't have to use a full-screen mirror to run the broadcast. Many applications have a special "Translate" button (a wave rectangle icon), which opens a list of available devices to select your console, in which case the phone acts only as a control panel, and the video stream goes directly from the server to the console, which saves battery power and ensures maximum picture quality.

If you want to display exactly what is happening on the screen of a smartphone (for example, a browser or a game), the screen Translation feature is used. On Android smartphones, it can be called differently: Smart View on Samsung, Translation on pure Android or Screen Replay on Xiaomi.

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Use Chromecast to stream videos from apps, rather than mirroring the entire screen, which reduces the load on the phone’s processor and prevents the device from heating up.

It’s important to understand the difference between streaming and mirroring. Chromecast built-in lets you stream content in the background while you’re using other apps on your phone. Mirror mirroring duplicates every action you take on your TV screen.

• 📺 Open the app with Cast support (YouTube, Google Photos).
• 📡 Click on the broadcast icon in the video corner.
• 📲 Select Xiaomi Mi Stick from the list of found devices.

Image quality when using embedded tools usually corresponds to the original, however, there may be a slight delay in input, which is critical for dynamic games, but imperceptible when watching movies.

Set up Miracast for Android smartphones

Miracast is the universal standard for mirroring screens, which is supported by most Android devices. Unlike Chromecast, Miracast creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between the phone and the console, which allows you to broadcast an image even without Internet access, as long as the devices see each other on the local network.

On the Xiaomi Mi Stick, Miracast is often built into the system or available through a pre-installed app. In some versions of the firmware, it may be called “Wireless Display” or “Wireless Monitor.” If standard means fail to find the feature, you can install the “Miracast” or “Cast Receiver” app from the Google Play Store on the console itself.

Once you start the receiver app on your TV, you need to activate the search for external displays on your smartphone, and the path to this function usually lies through the notification curtain or the screen settings menu, and the system will start searching for available devices and, upon finding the console, will suggest you to connect.

It should be noted that the quality of transmission over Miracast depends heavily on the power of the Wi-Fi module in the phone, when using old routers or in conditions of noisy air, image artifacts or audio desynchronization are possible.

⚠️ Note: When using Miracast, the smartphone screen must be turned on. If the phone goes into sleep mode or the screen goes out, the broadcast will be interrupted, since this is a mirror reflection, not streaming.

For gamers, this method may not be ideal due to the latency (input lag), which can be from 100 to 300 ms. However, for viewing photos, videos from the gallery or navigating maps, it is perfect.

• 🔍 Launch the “Wireless Monitor” app on the console.
• 📱 On the phone, turn on the function “Translation” or “Projection».
• 🔗 Wait for the name of the console and click to connect.

Broadcast from iPhone and iPad (AirPlay)

Owners of Apple devices should not despair, since the Xiaomi ecosystem is quite friendly to the products of the Cupertinos company. To implement the broadcast through the AirPlay 2 protocol, a special receiver application must be installed on the console. There may not be built-in AirPlay support in the standard Mi Stick firmware, so third-party software is necessary here.

One of the most popular and stable solutions is AirScreen, which is available on the Google Play Store on the console itself, and once installed and launched, it emulates the Apple TV receiver, making your console visible to your iPhone and iPad in the Screen Replay menu.

The setup process is simple: download the app on TV, open it, then swipe up (or down, depending on the model) on your iPhone and open the control point and select Screen Replay. Xiaomi Mi Stick will appear in the list of available devices.

It is important to note that free versions of such apps may contain ads or have session time limits. For ongoing use, it is recommended to consider buying a premium version or using alternatives such as Receiver for AirPlay.

AirPlay transmission quality is usually higher than Miracast, thanks to better codec optimization in Apple's ecosystem.The picture remains sharp and the sound latency is minimal, allowing you to watch video comics or even play leisurely games.

• 🍎 Install AirScreen app on Xiaomi Mi Stick.
• 📡 Make sure that your iPhone and console are on the same Wi-Fi network.
• 📺 Select the console in the menu “Screen Replay” on iOS.

Third-party applications for enhanced capabilities

If standard methods don't meet your requirements or work in an unstable way, specialized applications come to the rescue, which allow you not only to duplicate the screen, but also to manage the transfer of files, run media files from external drives and adjust the parameters of the codecs.

One of the most powerful tools is the Web Video Caster app bundle, which is installed on both the phone and the console (or uses a browser built into the console), which allows you to feed the console a link to a video file from any site, and it will play it on its own without loading the smartphone.

Another popular solution is LocalCast or BubbleUPnP. These programs are ideal for playing videos stored in a phone's memory or on a network storage (NAS), and they can transcode sound and video on the fly if the console does not support the file format natively.

Using third-party software gives you access to hidden settings, such as buffering, audio stream selection and subtitles, which makes a simple set-top box into a full-fledged media player for enthusiasts.

Do not forget about the possibility of using USB-Although the Xiaomi Mi Stick does not have a full-fledged port USB For video input, some phone models allow adapters to be connected, but this already requires complex setup and is rarely used for fast broadcasting.

Problem Solving and Compatibility Table

Even with the right setup, users can face problems such as a black screen, no sound, or permanent connection breaks, most often due to the power saving settings of a smartphone that kills the background broadcast process, or overheating of a Wi-Fi module.

If the image twitches, try lowering the resolution in the app settings on your phone, rebooting the router and clearing the app cache on the console also helps, and in some cases, you need to allow the app to access the microphone and geolocation, since Android uses this to find devices on the local network.

Below is a table to help you choose the best connection method based on your tasks and the type of content.

Remember that to play 4K content requires not only support from the console, but also high speed Internet channel, as well as high-quality HDMI cable (if you use an adapter) and TV with support for HDCP 2.2.

⚠️ Note: When broadcasting in 4K HDR Make sure that the Xiaomi Mi Stick settings have mode enabled HDMI 2.0, otherwise the image may not appear or be black and white.

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The stability of the broadcast depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi signal and the absence of interference in the air, not only on the power of the smartphone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)