Want to mirror or cast content from your mobile device to a larger screen? It’s easy with the following apps!
One of the joys of owning an Android device is being able to cast content from one device to another. This is especially useful if you want to view content from a smartphone or tablet on a bigger screen (usually a TV) via Miracast technology or Chromecast, for example. There are many apps available for on-demand video or movie streaming such as Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and Hulu, to name just a few. Unfortunately, there are apps that don’t support casting, in which case screen mirroring is a further option.
Screen mirroring can be especially useful for activities such as displaying photos, videos, or other local content from your device to a larger screen. However, one drawback of screen mirroring rather than casting is that the entire screen of your mobile device is shown on the larger screen. Another snag is that you cant multitask, whereas with casting you can still use your mobile for other purposes. Moreover, screen mirroring is quite battery-intensive.
There’s a place for both screen-mirroring and casting though whatever demands your situation. We’ve rounded up 10 best screencast and screen mirroring apps to save you having to rummage through the Google Play Store. These are in no particular order, as preference will vary according to your requirements and the devices you own. Before we kick off we want to stress that these types of app come to the Google Play Store with alarming regularity and can very quickly disappear again. However, these are the best we came across at the time of our testing.
1. ALLCONNECT – PLAY & STREAM
Price: Free with ads
AllConnect is a popular easy-to-use app for streaming to a wide range of devices such as Chromecast, Smart TVs, Roku, Xbox, and others. You can stream movies, photos, music, and more, with multiple streaming support that allows you to stream different content to more than one device simultaneously.
There’s also support for casting YouTube videos (although not YouTube Live), as well as streaming from multiple sources such as the cloud, media servers, and online websites. As well as this, the app features advanced playback functions, but it should be noted that it doesn’t support screen mirroring.
Download AllConnect – Play & Stream
2. CAST TO TV – CHROMECAST, ROKU, CAST VIDEOS TO TV
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
You can cast local content from your device or online videos with Cast to TV. It supports various devices, including Chromecast, Smart TVs, Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, and more. The app has user-friendly controls, auto search (for available devices), play queue, and it can identify files on your device as well as an SD card. The most recent update added support for Apple TV, performance improvements, and features such as history and bookmarks.
3. GOOGLE HOME
Price: Free
This might not have seemed an obvious choice at first as this proprietary app can be used to manage Google Home devices such as lights and thermostats. However, it can also be used to control Chromecast and supports mirroring from your mobile device to a TV if you need it (requires Chromecast).
It’s an intuitive app, and if you have compatible lights, it can even be set up to dim the lights as you start viewing a movie. Please note that available features vary by region.
4. ALLCAST (FREE OR £3.00)
Price: Free with ads/ $3.99
The free version of AllCast from ClockworkMod only allows you 5 minutes of viewing for videos and pictures. But, at least it allows you to try it out before you decide if the price worth it. Download the free version first and then if you like it, upgrade to the paid AllCast Premium version for the license key. This removes video length limitations as well as ads. The app supports casting to Chromecast, Apple TV, Xbox consoles (360 and One), FireTV, Smart TVs, WDTV, and more.
5. SAMSUNG SMART VIEW
Price: Free
This app is specifically for sharing content from a mobile device to a Samsung Smart TV and The Frame TV. It can be used for movies, music, and games content, or browsing apps while benefiting from a touch experience to a larger screen. It uses a nicely designed interface and is compatible with many Samsung SmartTV models from 2011 and later (list on app description). Do note that some features vary according to the region and the Samsung release schedule.
6. TEAMVIEWER FOR REMOTE CONTROL
Price: Free
The TeamViewer app is a little different to those we’ve mentioned so far. It focuses on the ability to securely remotely control other devices, including PCs (Windows, Linux, Mac OS). For example, you can access and control your work computer from home with your smartphone. Screen sharing in this instance is useful for spontaneous support, and diagnostic purposes, and further features include file transfers (both ways), Contacts management, and real-time sound and HD video transmission. This free version is for individuals, but for commercial use, there are various paid options.
7. LOCALCAST FOR CHROMECAST
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
Cast your videos, photos, and music from your mobile device, DLNA devices, Dropbox, Google Drive, PC and others to not just Chromecast but also SmartTVs, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, Nexus Player, and more. Chromecast supports zoom, rotate, and pan features, as well as subtitles, and there’s also beta support for wireless headphones although this might be patchy at present.
In-app purchases can be used to remove ads and unlock Pro features, including video previews from the “Now Playing” screen, and search.
8. LIVESCREEN – SCREEN MIRROR
Price: Free with ads
This app may not be as popular as others, but it worked well in our testing, although we note some commenters mentioned glitches. If you want to get rid of the ads, use an in-app purchase to upgrade to the Pro version, but we’ll point out that presently the app doesn’t support audio transmission. LiveScreen enables sharing over WiFi with remote browser access, including Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.
The app is useful for displaying the screen of your mobile device when giving a presentation. Alternatively, you can use the built-in web browser of your SmartTV to show your photos to family and friends on a larger screen.
Download LiveScreen – Screen Sharing
9. SCREEN STREAM MIRRORING
Price: Free with ads/ $5.99
More than 10 million downloads suggest this should be a very decent app. After trying it out, we can’t argue with that. Share the contents of your Android device screen (as well as audio) to Smart TVs, Chromecast, DLNA devices, or other compatible devices, from sources such as YouTube, Facebook, and more. The free version has time limits but does at least enable you to check it out. Then you can decide whether to purchase the Pro version to remove limitations.
Download Screen Stream Mirroring Free
10. TUBIO – CAST WEB VIDEOS TO TV, CHROMECAST, AIRPLAY
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
Supported players for this app include certain Smart TVs, Apple TV, Xbox consoles, Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, among others. Simply find the online video or audio that you want to share, and you can share it with a simple tap, as well as locally stored photos and videos.
The app features play, pause, stop, and seek features, while the volume can be adjusted using your mobile device hardware buttons. In-app purchases can be used for the Premium version of Tubio to remove ads, get unlimited customer support, and additional HD playback.
Final Word
All of our best screen mirroring apps and screencasting apps are free to download. Some of these apps offer a paid version for enhanced features. Do note that it may be a case of testing out several of these apps before you find the one that best suits you, as some work better with some devices than others. Also, be aware that the quality of your Wi-Fi network can affect streaming performance.
Why not send us a comment to let us know which of these apps you favor. On the other hand, you might want to recommend a screen mirroring or casting app that you use that we did not include in our pick. In which case, tell us why it’s your preferred app of this kind.
