As a technology lover, you look forward to making new connections with innovative people at tech conferences. But when you arrive and get settled in, you realize set-up time is running out. You need to present your latest project, but can’t because images are misaligned or missing. Your audience is expecting something great, but your screenshare fell flat.

When you need to take your big screen experience away from your laptop, the Chromecast extension for Android is a fast and easy way to enjoy thousands of Chromecast-enabled apps on your phone or tablet.

Chrome Extension For Android Screen Mirror

Screen mirroring isn’t the most popular thing people do with their devices. However, there are plenty of niche use cases for such a technology. Some people like it for streaming. Others use it for technical support. Whatever the reason, we hope we can help you achieve it. Here are the best screen mirroring apps and screencasting apps for Android along with some other solutions that work!

The best screen mirroring apps for Android
Chrome Remote Desktop
Google Home
Microsoft Remote Desktop
TeamViewer
Your Phone Companion
Bonus: Native smartphone solutions
Find the best new apps
Join thousands of readers to get a weekly digest of the best apps!
email address
Subscribe
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

Chrome Remote Desktop
Price: Free

Chrome Remote Desktop – best screen mirroring apps
Chrome Remote Desktop is one of the more popular screen mirroring apps. It doesn’t let you mirror your phone screen on a computer. In fact, it does exactly the opposite. The app lets you look at your computer desktop on your mobile device. It works best with tablets. However, it’s perfectly usable on a phone. It should also work on any computer with Google Chrome browser support. The app is also free with no in-app purchases.

See also: How to cast and mirror to Chromecast

Google Home
Price: Free / Chromecasts cost money

Google Home screenshot 2020
Google Home is the app for Google Home, Chromecast, and other Google devices. You can directly cast your screen from your device to your TV with this app and a Chromecast. It actually works impressively well. However, most of the use cases, like streaming video, are better done on the Chromecast rather than screen mirroring. Still, if you need your phone screen on a TV, this is a great way to do it. You have to purchase a Chromecast for this to work. The app is free, at least, and it didn’t bug out or have any major issues during our testing.

See also: How to set up and use Google Home

Microsoft Remote Desktop
Price: Free

Microsoft Remote Desktop – best screen mirroring apps
Microsoft Remote Desktop is a lot like Chrome Remote Desktop. In fact, it does basically the same thing. It shows you your desktop computer. The app supports Windows Professional and Server editions. In addition, it works well for video and sound streaming should the need occur. It’s completely free with no in-app purchases or advertisements. Those running Windows should probably use this one. Otherwise, default to Chrome Remote Desktop for other operating systems. Microsoft actually has two desktop apps right now. The first is linked at the button below and the other is in the Play Store here.

See also: Ways to control your Android from a PC

TeamViewer
Price: Free (for individual use)

TeamViewer is one of the most popular screen mirroring apps. This one is mainly for diagnostic purposes. You can look at desktops or other mobile devices if needed. It supports HD video and sound transmission, 256-bit AES encryption, and file transfers from both devices. It also supports Mac, Windows, and Linux natively. That’s great news. The app is free to use for individual use. Those running businesses have various payment options.

See also: The best Android apps to transfer files from Android to PC and other ways too

Your Phone by Microsoft
Price: Free

Microsoft Your Phone Companion
Your Phone Companion is an excellent app by Microsoft. It still has some bugs, but it already does more than a lot of Android apps for connecting your phone to Windows. Once connected, you can view photos, answer texts, make phone calls (on PCs with Bluetooth), and yes, cast your screen. In fact, you can cast your screen as normal or launch an Android app that also launches the screencasting mode. Your Phone Companion is still a bit buggy, even on phones where it comes natively like Samsung devices. However, when it works, it’s an outstanding solution for screen mirroring.

See also: How to cast to Roku and mirror your Android phone to watch Twitch and more

Bonus: Native smartphone and smart TV mirroring
Price: Free

Many smart TVs and smartphones can screen mirror things natively. For instance, many Android devices can cast the screen to virtually anything that has Miracast or Chromecast support. As long as your smart TV or smart dongle or whatever can do it, you can screen mirror without downloading an extra app. It’s the fastest, most efficient way to do screen mirroring as long as you have the proper equipment already in your home or area. We have Miracast linked up at the button below as it is one of the native options for t his.

Hardware devices like Chromecast or Kindle Fire Sticks
best screen mirroring methods
Many of today’s TV streaming dongles have native screen mirroring support. A couple of the options include Amazon’s Fire TV and Google’s Chromecast. There are some limitations to each platform. However, they do tend to work rather well. Those who own a Chromecast can just pop open the app, open the menu, and the cast screen option should be there. This is especially nice for playing mobile games with a controller. The latency is low enough to where it shouldn’t affect the experience in most games. For movies and TV, we recommend just the stock Chromecast or Fire Stick functionality without mirroring.

Fire TV is a little more complicated. You use your device’s native screen mirroring feature (on Android 4.2 or higher) to connect to Fire TV. This is similar to how it works on compatible smart TVs. Kindle Fire devices can mirror to Fire TV much more easily.

It takes a little bit of searching around because the options are very numerous. Some TVs can do it and some TVs cannot. Any Android device over Android 4.2 can initiate screen mirroring with a supported TV or streaming stick. Most smart TVs and streaming sticks will work for this. It takes a little tinkering in your menu system, but it does work pretty well once you get it going.

HDMI-out
HDMI – best screen mirroring apps
The best and easiest way to screen mirror is to use a cable. Unfortunately, this tech is getting harder and harder to find. Most Samsung and LG device still have it. Outside of those companies, it gets a little hit or miss. Despite being a pioneer for USB Type-C and its native HDMI capabilities, Google Pixel devices don’t have HDMI-out. It’s annoying. However, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out if devices have HDMI-out support via a quick Google Search.

After that, you just have to get the right cable. Older Samsung devices usually use MHL while LG usually uses Slimport. Most other devices that support HDMI-out use one of the two of those protocols. Newer devices with USB-C usually don’t have any particular protocol and most HDMI cables to USB-C should work as long as the phone supports the feature.

HDMI-out has the advantage of being rock solid. You can use it offline, there is no worry about weird connection problems unless the cable breaks, and the prices for such cables are usually fairly reasonable.

Those with Samsung devices can also check out its DeX mode with a Windows PC that allows for things like screen mirroring, but in a full desktop experience that takes place wholly on the phone. All you need is a USB cable to plug it into your computer.

Vysor and other Chrome extensions
vysor-desktop
Koush’s Vysor and similar Chrome extensions work pretty well. They allow you to mirror your device screen to your computer using Google Chrome. These methods generally work good enough for most use cases. Most of the extensions have instructions for use. Usually it doesn’t require a cable. At worst, it requires your usual charging cable. Thus, you usually don’t have to make any additional purchases.

You can download Vysor by clicking here (on your computer). The app is available in Google Play. We would’ve included this one in the list above, but the main part of the process is on your PC as opposed to your device. There are other extension options as well. Play with a few and find the one that works with you.

Capture cards
best Android apps for screen recording
Capture cards are kind of a last resort. Your device needs HDMI-out capabilities as explained above or it won’t work. From there, you need to buy a capture card. The current best option for smartphones is the Elgato HD60S. You plug this into your computer and then your phone into the capture card. From there, you use the capture card’s software to view your screen on your computer or laptop.

The big disadvantage for this is that it’s really expensive. The capture card alone can go for around $200 (usually a little less) and then you have to buy the HDMI cable for your phone as well. However, this is a rock solid solution. We’ve used it for years. You get fewer frame drops, more stable connections, higher bitrates, and you can also record the screen if you need to.

If you need it for anything simple like showing off some photos on a TV, this is not what we would recommend. This is only recommended for the most hardcore of screen mirroring applications and especially for screen recording or game streaming.

If we missed any screen mirroring apps and other methods, tell us about it in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!

how to screen mirror from android to chromecast

The smart TV market is convoluted with all kinds of devices, operating systems, and user interfaces. It continues to be a mess. This is what makes Chromecast dongles an enticing offering. They offer smart TV-like functionality without all the fuss and complications. Cast from your smartphone to your TV – that is the Google Cast promise. And it does this at a very reasonable price!

There are multiple ways to do this, though. Traditionally, this was only possible when connected to the same Wi-Fi, but now it’s possible to cast without being in the same network.

You can cast content using a supported app like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and many others. It’s also possible to mirror your Android phone’s screen to it.

Before you read: How to set up Chromecast with your phone

How to cast your content
3rd-gen Chromecast
Casting videos, images, or music is a straightforward process if your smartphone/tablet and the dongle are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Here’s how to do it!

How to cast to Chromecast with a smartphone:

Connect your smartphone (Android or iOS) to the same Wi-Fi network as the dongle.
Open a supported app and launch the content you want to cast.
A Google Cast icon will appear, usually in the top-right corner.
Tap on it and select the device you want to cast to.
Watch the magic happen!
How to cast to Chromecast with a computer:

Connect your computer to the same Wi-Fi network as your dongle.
Open a supported service’s website using Chrome.
Start playing the content you want to cast.
The Google Cast icon should show up. Tap on it and select the device you want to cast to.
Enjoy!
Don’t leave guests out of the party! One of Google’s coolest features allows users to cast to Chromecast without being connected to the Wi-Fi network at all. Google calls this feature Guest Mode. Just keep in mind this won’t work with the newer Chromecast with Google TV.

How to cast to Chromecast without Wi-Fi:

The host needs to open the Google Home app.
Scroll down and select the Chromecast device.
Tap on the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Hit Recognition & sharing.
Go to Guest Mode.
Toggle Guest Mode on.
Guests can now go to the Chromecast-supported apps and hit the Cast button.
Select Nearby device and follow instructions.
The Chromecast will ask for a PIN, which the host can provide.
Enjoy your content!
Also: Chromecast not working? Here’s how to fix it!

How to mirror your screen to Chromecast
Third-gen Chromecast
You got an app that isn’t supported, or simply want to show others your screen? There’s a way to do that too! This is how you do it.

How to mirror your smartphone to Chromecast:

Connect the phone and dongle to the same Wi-Fi network.
Open the Google Home app on your smartphone.
Find the Chromecast device you want to mirror your screen to and tap on it.
Tap on the Cast my screen button in the lower-left corner.
Select Cast screen.
You can hit Stop mirroring when done.
How to mirror your computer to Chromecast:

Connect the computer and dongle to the same Wi-Fi network.
Open the Chrome browser on your computer.
Hit the 3-dot menu button in the top-right corner.
Select Cast….
Hit the Sources button and select Cast tab, Cast desktop, or Cast file.
Click on the Chromecast device you want to mirror your screen to.
Click on it again to stop mirroring.

Conclusion

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines