Miracast - does the phone have to have it?

[Sunny Rio]

Can I use a Miracast program, if the phone doesn't support it natively? I've tried 5 apps, including the one which came with the Leelbox adapter to plug into my TV, but although the phone can connect to the Leelbox and use it as a wireless access point to get to the internet, when I try to cast the screen to it using any of the 5 apps, it cannot connect. There's no option for casting under display in my phone's settings. Does it need to be there to use a casting program, or are those programs for phones which are unable to do it natively?

 

[Dannydet]

Natively....
That's why they're called 3rd party apps.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phongphan.miracast
Go ahead and install it, try it out and report back your results.

 

[Sunny Rio]

I don't understand what you're saying. Doesn't it need the hardware to be able to do it? I have tried 5 apps already and they all open the same window called something like "cast" which is black and says no device found or similar. I was thinking they were all just calling a system routine which my phone doesn't have.

 

[malissiabrobst]

Just download it
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phongphan.miracast

 

[Sunny Rio]

I get "caution: some android device don't support screen cast"
And "no nearby devices were found"
I know the IP of the TV, can I give it to the phone to make things easier? They're both on the same WiFi network, provided by my ISP's router.

 

[mikedt]

I don't understand what you're saying. Doesn't it need the hardware to be able to do it? I have tried 5 apps already and they all open the same window called something like "cast" which is black and says no device found or similar. I was thinking they were all just calling a system routine which my phone doesn't have.

That's what it is, support for Miracast has to be built-in by the manufacturer of the phone or tablet. And it sounds like your particular phone doesn't support it, but check if you got Wireless Display Certification enabled in the Developer settings.

I believe Google discontinued support for Miracast in Android, in favour of their own Chromecast.

 

[Dannydet]

Yep. Best option is to buy a chromecast and be done with it

 

[Sunny Rio]

I turned on Wireless Display Certification but it still doesn't work. And I see no setting in display to cast like I think I should. I looked up Chromecast, but got directed to Google Home, which couldn't do it either.

 

[Sunny Rio]

Yep. Best option is to buy a chromecast and be done with it

I'd like to be sure it's going to work before I buy something else and have to return it too. Can I tell if my phone supports chromecast?

 

[Dannydet]

As long as both your phone and chromecast / google home device is connected to your home wifi it'll work.
It doesn't matter what phone you have.

 

[Sunny Rio]

Well it's not in my settings like it should be, so I assume the hardware is missing. No amount of software will fix that. This is a £30 phone, some things are missing.

 

[Deleted User]

What phone do you have and what are you trying to do? I just upgraded to a Chromecast 2, which is a big improvement, but I can also Cast to a Samsung hotel tv from 2 Xiaomi phones.
I can check if an older Motorola E6 and a Nokia 7 I have can cast, I think not - so you may not have it available, as said above.

I hadn't heard of a Leelbox, but is that the only thing you can use?
I have a 10 year old Panasonic Plasma TV without wifi so I needed something to stream with before I finally got a pc with a HDMI output, lol.
I like the Chromecast 2 better for picture quality and hotspotting off my phone, and I got it new in a store sale for £17 UK.

 

[Sunny Rio]

My phone is a VKWorld Mix Plus, Android 7. Leelbox was £11 from Ebay. TV is Tesco cheap crap I was given, HDMI but no Internet stuff. I think my phone doesn't have the hardware function in it. It should be there in the display part of settings.

 

[Deleted User]

I used phones without a cast feature to a non wif enabled tv, and still do. I only cast to a hotel Samsung tv, and now I find the 2nd generation Chromecast better than casting (£17 nib clearance at John Lewis) I don't know about the Leelbox - I presume it needs a power cable too, the hdmi won't power it. If you can get a cheap Chromecast, even gen 1, however I needed a second phone to set up the newer Chromecast, or a cheap mifi device with another sim or your main sim transferred temporarily.

With the newer, but now old Chromecast 2 I recently bought, I can just use 1 phone with my main sim to stream to the tv / Chromecast - however I needed a second phone on wifi off the hotspot to use the Google Home app to set up the cast function initially. Actually I put my sim in the other phone to set it up using my main phone on the WiFi connection so it will be recognised with the sim back in later.
It's a little involved though easy enough. The Home app asks to turn on Bluetooth and wifi to set the Chromecast up.

If you can pick up a Chromecast, and temporarily use another Android phone or get a cheap mifi device which I've also used, you should be good.

Otherwise maybe ask in a CEX store to look at cheap (Samsung) phones that may have a cast function, but I don't think they will work on a non wifi tv.


You don't necessarily need a large hotspot allowance on your sim plan, I think. I used a mifi device when I didn't have much hotspot data, but most plans don't differentiate these days. True of Three and EE at least.

(I think maybe Miracast is now an old name from 2012 and most newer tvs have a cast function with wifi)

 

[Sunny Rio]

I'm assuming your phone did have a cast feature, but was just missing the software. Mine is absent in the settings, and was a very cheap phone and doesn't work with the Leelbox. So I won't bother spending money on a Chromecast. Although the guy that sold me the Leelbox gave me my £11 back and said I could keep it! It's now a spare wireless access point in a box, I might use it one day.

I had to use my PC to set up the Leelbox. My phone can connect to it with Wifi to access the internet through it, but it can't see it to cast, so I think the phone is missing the hardware cast function. I did power the Leelbox of a USB power supply (2A Apple charger).

Hotspot allowance?! Why would I have to pay to connect to my own box?

 

[Deleted User]

My devices did not have cast in Settings but I could still use them. Are you using home WiFi unlike me. Do you have a cast button in You Tube, Chrome, BBC i Player etc, then with a Chromecast they will work, and with the Home app you should be able to cast your screen as well.
You would just need whatever hdmi casting device, definitely Chromecasts, and your phone to be on the same wifi network. Again setting up a Chromecast will use Bluetooth on the phone as well.

If you were using data from your phone sim to cast directly to your TV that's where you would have to work around like I did and why I mentioned Hotspot.

I think we will remain at cross purposes but good luck.

 

[Sunny Rio]

I can't see one in Youtube. I don't have the other two programs. Where should it be in Youtube and what does it look like (I have no idea what half the symbols mean) - I avoid that program as it's 90% ads and use an ad-free browser for youtube.