My sister has this old LG TV that doesn't support screen casting. As her couch potato, it meant that I was stuck with the content available through its built-in apps or channels. I wasn't big on buying a cable TV device because of the ridiculous subscriptions. But I recently got an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which made life easier. Instead of having my nieces huddle around me to watch cartoons, now I just mirror my phone’s content on the bigger screen and keep my personal space.
This scenario could be describing your life right now, or you just have other reasons for wanting casting support on your TV. But if you've got a Fire TV Stick like me and want to test its screen mirroring ability, here's how.
How to cast your Android device screen to an Amazon Fire TV Stick
There's one major thing to note before casting your Android phone’s screen to your Fire TV Stick — it doesn't improve your resolution. Let's say you buy a Fire TV Stick with 4K resolution. That doesn't mean your TV automatically displays everything you throw at it in 4K.
If your phone's screen resolution is lower than that, the mirrored image on your TV will also be lower than that. Likewise, if your TV doesn't support 4K resolution, the mirrored image will be displayed at the maximum resolution your TV can handle. Now that we've settled that misconception, follow the steps below to begin casting on your Fire TV Stick.
Note: The steps we've used in this procedure may look slightly different from what you see on your Fire TV Stick. It's normal as Fire OS versions vary across different models.
Setting up your Fire TV Stick and Android device connection
You need to switch on your TV with the connected Fire TV Stick and get it into a pairing mode. This procedure allows your phone to recognize the TV when searching for nearby devices. Here's how to do it:
1. Turn on your Fire Stick device and go to Settings.
2. Select Display & Sounds.
3. Select Enable Display Mirroring.
4. Your Fire TV Stick will enter a pairing mode. Leave the screen and grab your Android device. It's time to connect it to the stick.
Casting your Android device to Amazon Fire TV Stick
Google Pixel devices support Chromecast and DIAL protocols but not Miracast. Miracast is the protocol that most Fire TV Sticks use. You'll have better luck screen mirroring your Samsung device or other models to your stick. So, use another phone or buy a Chromecast. If your TV has built-in Chromecast support, you can cast directly without the extra device in between.
Note: Again, the steps we used for this walkthrough may appear different on your Android device. It's okay because there are different models and versions of Android. But there are similarities that should make the procedure easy to recreate on your end.
Follow these steps to connect and cast media files from supported phones to Fire TV Stick:
1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Quick Settings panel. It's faster if you swipe down from the top of your screen with two fingers.
2. Select Screencast. On Samsung phones, you'll see Smart View instead.
3. Your Android phone will search for nearby devices. Select your Fire TV Stick when you see it. You may need to grant some permissions and accept an invitation to continue casting.
4. Another way to access the screen casting feature is through your phone's settings menu. Once there, select Connection & sharing.
5. Go to Screencast > Search for display devices.
6. Wait for your Android device to find your Fire TV Stick. Select it when you see it. You may need to grant some permissions and accept an invitation to continue casting.
Enjoy content casting from Android to your Fire TV Stick
After completing the above steps, you'll enjoy streaming content from your Android device to your Amazon Fire TV stick. You may face issues during the setup process or fail to connect both device. Check that both of them are have updated operating systems and clear their caches. These actions should troubleshoot them and remove any bugs affecting them.
