Screen mirroring not working? Work through this in order
Updated September 2026
Nine times out of ten it is one of three things: the phone and TV are on different Wi-Fi bands, the router is blocking devices from seeing each other, or your TV simply does not have the feature you are trying to use — which no app can add.
Work down this list in order. Each check takes under a minute, and the one that most people never think of is number two.
1. Are they on the same network — really?
Most routers broadcast 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under names that look similar or even identical. A phone on the 5 GHz band often cannot see a TV sitting on 2.4 GHz, because on many routers they behave as separate networks.
- Check the exact network name on the phone, and on the TV under Settings → Network.
- If they differ at all — even by a "-5G" suffix — move the phone to match the TV.
- A TV on Ethernet and a phone on Wi-Fi is fine, provided both go through the same router.
2. Is your router hiding devices from each other?
This is the one nobody checks. Many ISP-supplied routers ship with AP isolation (sometimes called client isolation, guest mode or "prevent devices from communicating") switched on. Everything has internet, and nothing can see anything else on the network.
- Open your router's admin page and search the settings for isolation.
- Turn it off for the main network.
- Also check the phone is not on the guest SSID. Guest networks are isolated by design and casting will never work from one.
SCREENSHOT SLOT — the AP isolation setting on two or three common ISP routers. This is the highest-value image on the page: it is what people cannot find on their own.
3. Does your TV actually have the feature?
A lot of failed casting is not a fault. The feature is simply absent, and every app in the store will fail the same way.
| TV system | Google Cast | AirPlay | Miracast | DLNA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google TV / Android TV | Yes | No | Varies | Yes |
| Samsung Tizen | No | Usually | Yes | Yes |
| LG webOS | No | Usually | Yes | Yes |
| Hisense VIDAA | No | Some | Yes | Yes |
| Roku TV | No | Usually | Yes | Yes |
| Fire TV | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Notice the last column. Google Cast is missing from most of them — but DLNA is on all of them. If you want one method that works on everything, that is the one.
4. It connects, but the screen is black
This one cannot be fixed, by any app. Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Max and most banking apps deliberately output a black frame when the screen is being mirrored or recorded. It is copy protection built into Android itself, and any app claiming to defeat it is lying to you.
What to do instead: use the streaming app's own cast button, which sends the stream to the TV rather than mirroring your screen. Or play your own files directly over DLNA.
5. It connects, then stutters, drops or the sound drifts
Screen mirroring sends a live video encode of your display over the air, so it is very sensitive to signal quality, distance and interference — and it flattens your battery while it runs.
If what you actually want is to watch one video or show some photos, stop mirroring and send the file instead. The TV decodes it directly: full quality, no stutter, no battery drain, and you can use the phone for something else while it plays.
The method that works on every TV in that table
Send Apps to TV finds your TV over DLNA and hands it the file — photos, video, music, documents. On Android TV and Fire TV it can also install apps from your phone, split APKs included.
Get Send Apps to TV — free No cable, no cloud, no account6. It worked before and stopped
- Power-cycle the TV at the wall, not with the remote — thirty seconds unplugged. TV network stacks routinely need this after a firmware update.
- Restart the router if devices have recently changed IP addresses.
- Check for a TV firmware update, and also check whether one just installed. Updates occasionally reset mirroring permissions to "never allow".
Questions people ask
Why can't I screen mirror to my TV anymore?
Usually something changed on the network rather than on the devices. A router firmware update can switch AP isolation back on, a TV update can reset mirroring permission to "never allow", and phones sometimes reconnect to the 5 GHz band after an update while the TV stays on 2.4 GHz. Check those three in that order.
Why is my phone not screen casting to my TV?
Most often the TV does not have the feature you are using. Google Cast is absent from most Samsung, LG, Hisense VIDAA, Roku and Fire TV sets — the cast button will simply never find them. Check the table above for what your TV actually supports.
How do I get screen mirroring to work?
Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network and the same band, turn off AP isolation on the router, and confirm your TV supports the method you are trying. If you only want to play one video or some photos, sending the file over DLNA avoids mirroring altogether and works on nearly every TV.
Why can't I mirror my iPhone to my TV?
iPhones mirror over AirPlay, which most non-Apple TVs do not support — though many Samsung, LG, Roku and Hisense models have added it. If yours has not, no app can add AirPlay to it. (The app on this site is Android-only.)