Galaxy S4 Guides

The ultimate guide of Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

by 96 Comments

galaxy s4 screen mirroringUpdate 1: Please do not confuse Galaxy S4 screen mirroring  with Android screen mirroring through Chromecast. Android screen mirroring (screen cast) is also supported on Galaxy S4. 

Update 2: For detailed comparison of Chromecast and Miracast, please check this guide.

You may not know you can enjoy any contents in your Galaxy S4 in a bigger screen (e.g., TV).  You can simply share the Galaxy S4 screen with most TVs or even some projectors.

This is Galaxy S4 screen mirroring.

Some geeks may call it wireless display, which is used by some other vendors.

Galaxy S4 Screen Mirroring is one of the prominent features in the smartphone. But unfortunately, this feature is under-used, because there are no clear guides for Galaxy S4 owners on how to use screen mirroring in Galaxy S4

This ultimate guide of Galaxy S4 screen mirroring will solve the problem for you.

Everything you need to know about Galaxy S4 screen mirroring will be covered.  I will update this guide regularly. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below.

What is Galaxy S4 screen mirroring?

Galaxy S4 screen mirroring (or wireless display) simply duplicates the display in your Galaxy S4 on TV or other bigger  screens (e.g., projectors). In other words, instead of staring at the 5″ screen, you can share Samsung Galaxy S4’s screen with TV of any size. The Samsung Galaxy S4 then works like a remote control for your TV.

This means you can consume any contents from your Galaxy S4 on a TV with a bigger screen with screen mirroring. For example, you can watch any videos  on the TV screen  from Galaxy S4. This usually gives better watching experience. You can easily share the video or the show with your family members in the living room with a bigger screen.

With Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, you can also play games  on your TV screen. Your Samsung galaxy S4 is your controller and the storage of your games.  In other words, any games you can play in your Galaxy S4 can now be played on the TV screen. Isn’t it cool?

You can also use Galaxy S4 screen mirroring to show photos taken or saved in your smartphone on the TV for other family members or friends during a gathering. Everybody knows it is painful when there are 10 eyes staring at the 5″ screen. Now you can share the Galaxy S4 screen to a TV so that everyone can enjoy the photos.

Is only the screen mirrored? How about the audio?

Although so far I only use “display” or “screen” for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, actually sound/audio will also be mirrored (to be precisely, transferred).  Galaxy S4 Screen mirroring is not just for mirroring the screen ( screen sharing ): it shares and casts both display and audio to your TV.

If you have a good sound system for your TV, you will immediately enjoy the excellent audio through Galaxy S4 screen mirroring. You will probably never want to watch movies in your Galaxy S4 at home any more. The sound quality is limited by the video file itself and your sound system, not by your Galaxy S4 (although the audio quality of Galaxy S4 is not bad).

In fact,  Galaxy S4 Screen mirroring never degrades the audio quality.

The technology behind Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

Galaxy S4 screen mirroring uses the technology called Miracast, which  allows a portable device or computer to send, securely through peer-to-peer WiFi Direct connection, up to 1080p HD video and 5.1 surround sound, to any devices that support Miracast.

Galaxy S4 (including most of its variants) is  Miracast-certified. Galaxy S4 screen mirroring complies with Miracast standard. This implies, for screen mirroring, Galaxy S4 works with all Miracast-certified devices.

Miracast is officially supported by Android  for Jelly bean 4.2 and later versions. Google and most other Android phone manufactures use the term wireless display (e.g., Wireless Display in Moto X). , which is essentially the screen mirroring in Samsung Galaxy S4.

Before Miracast is officially supported by Android, Samsung supported Miracast through their proprietary implementation of  AllShare Cast. You can find this option in some old flag-ship phones, for example, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 10.1.  Galaxy S4  Screen mirroring is a natural evolution of AllShare Cast and Android’s wireless display.

If you used AllSahre cast in some Samsung device before,  Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring  is actually not new at all.  All devices works with AllShare Cast should work perfectly with screen mirroring in Galaxy S4.

How to turn on and turn off Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

To turn on Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring is very simple. you just go to Settings–Connections–Screen Mirroring (maybe slightly different depending on your region).  Drag it to right to turn it on. Drag it left to turn Galaxy S4 screen mirroring off (stop sharing screen).

Once Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring is turned on, Galaxy S4 will then scan for available devices that support Miracast within the range.  Tap that device to connect to it following the on-screen instructions.

So you need another device, usually a Miracast-supported TV, or a Miracast-supported HDMI dongle, to get the mirrored screen.  Please read on to know what you need.

What are required to use Galaxy S4 screen mirroring?

Miracast is an industry-wide solution, so the technology works well across devices, regardless of brand and vendor.

To use Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, you only need a Miracast-supported TV.  Your Galaxy S4 will immediately find your TV once the screen mirroring is enabled.  So, you can share your screen on the TV immediately after you start the Galaxy S4 screen mirroring. Most smart TVs released in last two years support Miracast. You may check the specifications of your TV.

It is NOT a problem, even if your TV  does not support Miracast. A HDMI port is the only requirement for your TV.

If your TV is not a smart TV or it does not support Miracast, you can get one of the following devices to make Galaxy S4 screen mirroring work for you:

  • HDMI adapter that supports Miracast
  • Samsung HomeSync
  • Samsung AllShare Cast Hub

Now, let’s explore these 3 options to help you decide the most feasible solution for your Galaxy S4 screen mirroring.

Miracast-supprted HDMI Adpater for screen mirroring

There are quite a lot Miracast-supported HDMI Adapters in the market. Most of them will work with Galaxy S4.

But not all of these HDMI adapters are created equal. The latency or the lagging is usually your primary concern. Some low-quality adapters may cause considerable lags when sharing the screen.  Sometimes, the video and audio are even not synced. This will surely ruin your watching experience.

Another factor you need consider is whether you want to use screen sharing or wireless display for other devices.

NETGEAR Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter with Miracast (PTV3000) Based on my own experience, I usually recommend Netgear  Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter with Miracast.  It works for all  of my devices. This adapter works well with Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring. When using it for  Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, you will not feel any lagging. The audio is synced very well as well.

This adapter  is extremely useful if you have some non-Samsung smartphones or tablets at home, especially, Amazon Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire HDX tablets. It is even officially certified by Amazon for display mirroring with Kindle Fire HDX 7, Kindle Fire Hdx 8.9 and the new Kindle Fire HD. So, it is a good idea to get this adapter to enjoy Galaxy S4 screen mirroring  or Kind Fire display mirroring . It works with most other Android phones with Jelly Bean 4.2 or newer as well, for example, Galaxy Note 3, HTC One, Nexus 4 and Moto X.

This adapter also supports Intel Wireless Display (WiDi). This means you can use your TV as the second screen for your WiDi-supported laptop with this adapter.

The price for this adapter is around $60.  In the box, the USB power adapter is included.  But surprisingly, HDMI cable is not include. When ordering this adapter, please make sure you get a HDMI cable if you do not have any spare cables at home.

Samsung HomeSync for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

samsung homesync for galaxy s4Samsung HomeSync is actually a personal cloud (1TB) with tons of features. Screen mirroring is only one of the features in the long, long feature list. For Samsung Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, this device is actually overshot.

HomeSync is recommended when you also need personal storage cloud to save and share videos, music, and photos.  It can also be used as  a media player for your TV.

Most Galaxy phones and tablets are supported by HomeSync.  But screen mirroring is only available on Galaxy S3 (and some variants), Galaxy S4 (and some variants), Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Grand, Galaxy note 10.1, Galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab 3 (7.0, 8.0 and 10.1) .  To fully utilize the HomeSync, you need download the free HomeSync app.

The HomeSync is not cheap. It will cost you around $300 (1TB).

Samsung AllShare Cast Hub for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

Samsung AllShare Cast hubSamsung All-Share Cast Hub is another affordable solution if your TV does not support Miracast.  The wireless adapter works with Galaxy phones with AllShare Cast capability. Of course, Galaxy S4 screen mirroring is officially supported.

Please note, this AllShare Cast Hub is only for Samsung devices. It works nicely for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring without any configurations. If you have some non-Samsung smartphones or tablets, it is better to get the Netgear  Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter mentioned above.

How about Google Chromecast? Is it work with Galaxy S4 screen mirroring?

The $35 Google Chromecast is an exciting, and affordable device. But at this time, Miracast is NOT supported  by Chromecast. So, it can NOT be used as an adapter for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring.

With the Chromecast dongle, what you can cast on your TV from Samsung Galaxy S4  is limited by the apps that support Chromecast. Anyway, this is not through screen mirroring.

Troubleshooting for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring

Here are list of commonly asked questions on using Galaxy S4 screen mirroring. I update the list regularly. If you have any other questions, please post them in the comments below, or use contact us page to let us know.

 Q1: I turned on Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, but there are no device found to share the screen.
A1: Make sure your TV is on.  If you are using an adapter, make sure the HDMI source is set correctly on your TV and you can find some texts like ready to cast on your TV.

Q2: Should the smart TV (or the HDMI dongle/adapter)  connect to the same network as Galaxy S4 for screen mirroring?
A2: No. For Galaxy S4 screen mirroring, a peer-to-peer wireless network between the TV (or the adapter) and Galaxy S4 will be established privately to share the screen. This is independent of other wireless connections. Actually, internet access is not a pre-requisite for Galaxy S4 screen mirroring. This is different from Google Chromecast.

Q3: How about Galaxy Note 3? is this guide applies to Note 3?
A3:  This guide also applies to Galaxy Note 3.   You may check this page for more specific issues on screen mirroring on Galaxy Note 3.

Q4: Can I turn off the Galaxy S4’s display when using Galaxy S4 screen mirroring?
A4: No, you cannot. If you turn off the display on Galaxy S4, nothing will be shown on the TV.  TV simply duplicates whatever you have on the screen of S4.  To save battery when using screen mirroring, you  can disable auto brightness and set a low value of brightness. For brightness settings, you may check this page.

Q5: Will the brightness or other screen setting on Galaxy S4 affect the TV when using Galaxy S4 screen mirroring?
A5: No. screen or display settings in S4 are only for Galaxy S4. TV will use its own settings as explained in your TV’s manual. They are independent of each other.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. michael says

    Hi, I have the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and I also have the Netgear Push2TV PTV3000. I also have a home theater/surround sound system from Sony. I have used wireless display and miracast before and connect my laptop via WiDi on a regular basis. I am able to connect my S4 mini and the quality is phenomenal. The issue I am having is with the sound. I have sound but the quality is poor and no bass, all treble. It sounds like the system is set to monaural even though it is not. When my laptop is connected the sound is pristine. I assumed that the phone was incapable, but I have a friend that has a Motrola Moto X and his phone was able to play sound perfectly and as good as the laptop. I believe that all the settings on the surround sound receiver are correct, because I have not changed anything and my laptop works and the Moto X worked all with the same settings. I have read most of your tips and guides and I have tried different sound sources and they all came through poorly. Again sound sources from youtube, netflix,music stored on the device, spotify, soundcloud etc. work flawlessly when using the Moto X and my laptop. I have tried additional sources, but I do not believe it is the source of the sound or my surround receiver. Do you have any suggestions for me? I appreciate any help.

    Thank you,
    Michael

    Reply

  2. rangoon says

    Hi
    I tried to screen mirror
    from my s3 4g lte (france) with android 4.3 XXUEMK1 from xda-dev
    onto my Note 10.1 running original android 4.1.2
    but they dont see each other 🙁

    Anyhelp welcome 🙂

    Reply

  3. tyler says

    I had a quick question. We have the adapter and hdmi cord and ate using it for Netflix but I’ve noticed there is a bit of lag. To where the audio comes out first them the characters talk after it. Is There a way too fix that.

    Reply

  4. Rachit says

    I use s4 series , n I have LG TV hd but it’s not a smart TV however it does show me option like HDMI 1 or 2 or 3 . I understand I have to buy the adapter n wire , is that cheapest option for me ?

    Please mail the info

    Sorry

    Reply

  5. david says

    I have the s5 and a newer Samsung tv. The TV has allshare and has my phone under screen share as allowed. When I hit screen mirror the s5 scans but can’t find my tv. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  6. Susan Rand-Lakritz says

    I have a Blaupunkt New York multimedia system in my car. I just had a Carphone unit with Miracast installed so that the gps app Waze could be mirrored onto the built-in screen. Besides having some difficulty in having the cell scan and find the Miracast (I’ve even had to restart the phone to get it to work) the bigger issue is that screen mirroring suddenly turns off. Why is this happening and what can I do to prevent it?
    Thanks,
    Susan

    Reply

  7. marc says

    I have a gs4 and a homesync. They were working well together until i received the 4.4.2 kit kat update. Now they won’t connect to each other. I’m hoping there will be some kind of update soon. Any ideas?

    Reply

  8. Paul says

    I’ve got the Netgear Push2tv and a Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. I can connect the 2 with my phone but it won’t go any further. It doesn’t properly connect and then the screen mirroring turns off. I’ve tried the firmware update but still not working. Any ideas?

    Reply

  9. Yigal says

    Help! I can’t use screen mirroring. My telephone find the TV (SAMSUNG LED 46) , IT’S WRITTEN “CONNECTED” AND AFTER 1 SECOND THERE IS A NOTIFICATION :”SCREEN MIRRORING HAS BEEN TURNED OFF”. ANY IDEA? MANY THANKS

    Reply

  12. j alexander says

    I need to connect my galaxy s4 to my 2014 galaxy tab pro. They are both senders. What will I need to make my tablet a receiver. I’m wanting to connect to use my cell provider unlimited data to stream netflix for my kids while traveling. My tab is wifi compatible. My cell provider is att, don’t want to switch to mobile hot spot, for this one time use, so I would like to screen mirror. It’s there such a cable that I can connect the two via micro usb: micro usb, or do I need the hdmi dongle (the tab only has a micro usb port).

    Reply

  13. UMD_Dental says

    Can I stream the directv app on my S4 to a allshare tv? For example, I have a TV set up without a directv cable box but have an app on my S4 to stream live directv.

    Reply

  15. Stromyus says

    Hi all,

    Small question, I have S5 and Samsung smart 5300 TV… same lan, both connected, I can see TV in allowed devices on mob, and can see mob on TV, but.. I can’t share/see image from S5 on TV screen… When I first tried, everything worked well, but now, there is no way to reproduce picture on big screen… Any suggestion/help, please?! This is really annoying, due the fact that on my other phone, old Xperia P everything is working like a charm, without any additional setup…

    Reply

  16. Gera says

    I am able to connect my S4 to my Sony Bravia smart tv. But when working, there’s a big delay between device and tv and it runs very slow. When I watch videos, the audio and picture are out of time because of this delay. Any suggestion?

    Reply

  17. sushant says

    Hi…pretty niche article…However I am facing an issue I have a miracast supporting dongle and using S4 i9500 it gets connected but then shows an error HDCP not supported to the attached device.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  18. anonymous says

    every time I turn off the screen mirroring feature by sliding the button to the off position, and re-check to see if it is off, the screen mirroring still remains on. Is there a way to shut it off where it remains off? And, can someone with another android see your text messages or pictures on their android via the screen mirroring feature? in other words, can your txt message screen be shared with another android from another location via the screen mirroring feature? Thank You…

    Reply

  19. Tom B says

    That’s a shame. I’m in the same situation. I have unlimited on my phone, and my kids have tablets with WiFi. I could broadcast a Netflix movie to their tablets on long drives (there’s one coming up).

    This seems like a more reasonable use for Miracast than connecting to a television. I already have computers and cable connected to my screen–connecting my phone really doesn’t make sense (for me, at least).

    This makes Miracast pretty useless. I’m looking into other possibilities such as MirrorOp.

    Reply

  21. gaurav says

    Hi
    i have s5 and a dlibg dongle which support miracasr.
    when i connect it to my tv is shows the devise in mirror screen but does not connect to it
    it shows connecting for a while and then dies not connect at the end.

    Reply

  22. Tony says

    hi
    i have samsung galaxy s4 i9506 (LTE)
    with the screen mirroring feature –

    problem is – i try screen mirroring and i use Android dongle (which supports mira cast)

    screen mirroring starts and continues for a while (for about 30 -50 seconds) and then stops and there is a note “mirroring has stopped” (or sth like this)

    what could be the problem please?

    thank you

    Tony

    Reply

  25. fraser says

    I have a s4 mini and a push2tv ptv3000 I can connect to screen mirroring for approx. 10 min with good sound and vision. however after that time the screen freezes and I cant reconnect. I have tried firmware update on both phone and p2tv devices but I am still having the same problem. phone is on 4.4.2 kitkat and p2tv is 2.4.53.an

    anyone help?

    Reply

  26. royal says

    I have an S4mini and a Samsung led 60 smart tv, my phone finds the tv fine when I go to screen mirroring and says loading on the tv and then my phone comes back and says” failed to connect via screen mirroring”. both have latest software updates. Any ideas, thx

    Reply

  27. Tonette says

    I have a galaxy s4 and wanted to mirror with another galaxy s4 is that possible? I turn them both on but says no device found

    Reply

  29. rick says

    i have s microsoft wireless display adapter that i thought would work with my galaxy tab 4 but doesn’t. do you know if the S4 will work with this adapter? thanks

    Reply

  30. sabrina says

    Hi. I am planning on purchasing a galaxy s4 and would like to connect it to my tv so I can watch netflix or showbox. .it is not a smart tv but does have hdmi..I do not have wifi at home but have a hotspot on my cell..is it possible to do this using the mhl cable?

    Reply

  31. Chelsea says

    I have a galaxy s4 and connect to my samsung smart TV but there is no audio help!
    Checked everything twice and it still isn’t working?!

    Reply

  32. Ronni says

    I have used my Samsung s4 screen mirroring before with no issues, but now all of a sudden the audio no longer works & I can’t figure out how to fix this, any ideas? I tried the information above, but still nothing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply here