This article explains how to connect phone to tv with USB cable. You’ll find information about adding a USB port to the TV if it doesn’t have one and reasons for making the connection.
Connecting your phone to your TV isn’t as easy as you might think. Connecting a cable between your phone and TV can be challenging, regardless of whether you want to watch Netflix, share photos, or work from home.
It’s not impossible; you just have to choose a suitable cable.
Here’s how to connect an Android or iOS phone or tablet to a TV with a USB cable.
How To Connect Phone To TV With USB Cable
One of the following methods can be used to connect your phone or tablet to a TV:
- Android:
- USB-C cable with DisplayPort
- USB cable with MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link)
- USB cable with SlimPort
- iPhone/iPad
- Lightning cable (iPhone and iPad)
It depends on your specific device and operating system how you connect your phone to the TV. Despite the similarity of all the methods, connecting an iPhone differs from connecting an Android device.
Your connection method also varies based on your needs. Viewing photos on a compatible television requires a charging cable and mobile device. However, for screen mirroring, you’ll need a USB adapter.
USB connections between a phone and TV shouldn’t be affected by the TV model. Connecting phone to TV is outlined below for Samsung, LG, and many other brands. The same steps can also connect a phone to a non-smart TV.
Connect Your Phone to an HDMI TV Using USB Type-C
The latest Android smartphones feature a USB Type-C port. In addition to being called USB-C, this is a cylinder-shaped input used for charging and data transfer.
Supporting the DisplayPort standard, you can mirror your phone or tablet’s display to a TV via USB-C.
Connect the USB-C cable to Android and connect it to a docking station with HDMI output or a USB-C to HDMI adaptor.
Hooking up the phone to the TV via MHL
A variety of TV manufacturers supports MHL: if your TV has an HDMI port with an MHL logo above it, you can use an HDMI to micro-USB cable to connect to your phone or tablet – the HDMI cable will provide power, eliminating the need for adapters or cables.
If you need a specific cable, you can find a list of compatible cables for your device on Google MHL. With the HDMI cable and MHL adapter, connect your phone to your television. It’s plug-and-play; you’ll see your phone screen on your TV. With a USB cable, MHL is one of the best ways to connect an Android phone to a TV.
Connecting phones to a television using SlimPort
You can connect your phone to TV via MHL, but you can also use a SlimPort cable, which is similar to MHL in that it serves content from your device to your TV, but its output is different.
Both MHL and SlimPort are plug-and-play, but MHL only offers HDMI video output, whereas SlimPort offers HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and DVI. As a result, you can use it for various displays, including old TVs without digital inputs but with VGA.
SlimPort and MHL also differ in power supply. The former does not draw power from the device, whereas the latter does, so you must use a power cable with MHL.
SlimPort requires a compatible device, SlimPort adapter or cable (depending on your device), and a display with HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and DVI input, along with a video cable.
When you connect the SlimPort adapter to your phone and your TV using the correct cable, you can see your screen on your TV.
How to Connect a Phone to TV with USB But Without HDMI
Does the TV you want to connect to your phone not have HDMI? The Android phones can still be connected to old displays, but you’ll need specialized adapters to switch between formats.
- USB to VGA Adapter: A USB to VGA adapter is all you need to connect your phone to a VGA display.
- Phone to RCA AV: You’ll need an HDMI to RCA adapter as well as the USB to HDMI converter mentioned in #1 above. Chain the connections as follows: phone > USB Port to HDMI adapter > HDMI to RCA adapter > RCA to TV.
- Phone to SCART: To connect your phone to a SCART TV, you will also need an HDMI to SCART adapter and a USB to HDMI adapter. To connect, follow these steps: phone > USB to HDMI adapter > HDMI to SCART adapter > SCART to TV.
iOS – Using a Lightning Cable
As with connecting your Android phone or tablet to the TV via USB, you will need a Lightning cable, which differs from your iPhone model.
Almost everyone has an iPhone 5 or newer with a Lightning connector. For HDMI outputs or VGA connections, you’ll need a Lightning Digital AV adapter or a Lightning to VGA adapter.
All models use the Lightning cable for iOS to TV connections on iPads, except the iPad 3 and older, which uses the 30-pin cable. Depending on your display’s input, you’ll need either an AV or VGA adapter.
Most third-party cables don’t work when you want to watch video-streaming services like Netflix or Hulu or on-demand videos like DirecTV or Comcast Xfinity. HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) protects against piracy.
When you connect the video output of the adapter to your TV, the display will be mirrored on your screen. Be sure to plug the USB end of the cable into the adapter and the other end into a power source since it needs to be charged to work.
Conclusion
Connecting your phone or tablet to your TV via USB depends on the device, connection, and display input, but it isn’t too difficult once you know what’s required.
FAQs:
Q: What if my TV does not recognize my phone as a source?
Ans: TVs can view anything plugged into their USB port as an external drive, like a thumb drive, even if they have their own processors. In this case, you may also need an HDMI to USB adapter so that the TV can recognize the phone and the two devices can work together.
Q: How can I connect my Android phone to my non-smart TV?
Ans: You’ll only need a wireless dongle like the Amazon Firestick or the Google Chromecast to connect your TV to the internet. With dongles like Google Chromecast, you won’t need to purchase connector cables to cast your smartphone content to your non-smart TV.
Q: How can I cast my phone screen to my TV without Chromecast?
Ans: Bring down the Quick Settings window. Tap the quick setting icon labeled Screencast or just Cast. The list of wireless display devices on your network will appear. Select your TV, and your Android phone’s screen will appear on your TV a few seconds later.