How to cast your phone to a TCL TV
Updated September 2026
TCL sells TVs running four completely different systems — Roku TV, Google TV, Android TV and Fire TV — and the casting method is different on each. Two of them have no Google Cast at all. This is why generic "how to cast to TCL" instructions so often do nothing.
Identify yours from the home screen below, then use the matching method. All four support DLNA, so if you just want to play a specific photo, video or song, that route works on every TCL regardless.
Which TCL do you have?
Press Home on the remote.
| Home screen | System | Google Cast | AirPlay | DLNA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple tiles, "Roku" on boot, remote has a purple button | Roku TV | No | Usually | Yes |
| Google search bar, "Google TV" branding | Google TV | Yes | No | Yes |
| Rows of apps, "Android TV" on boot | Android TV | Yes | No | Yes |
| Amazon layout, Alexa button on remote | Fire TV | No | No | Yes |
SCREENSHOT SLOT — the four TCL home screens photographed side by side. Readers identify their TV in two seconds from a picture and in thirty from a paragraph.
TCL Google TV and Android TV
These have Chromecast built in. Open any Cast-enabled app, tap the cast icon, pick the TV. If the icon is missing, the app does not support Cast — use DLNA below instead.
TCL Roku TV
No Google Cast. Roku uses its own mirroring, and Android's cast button will not find it.
- On the TV: Settings → System → Screen mirroring → set mode to Prompt or Always allow.
- On the phone: open your manufacturer's mirroring feature — Smart View, Screen Cast, Wireless Projection.
- Pick the Roku TV and accept on screen.
To play one file rather than mirror everything, use DLNA below — it is more reliable and does not drain the battery.
TCL Fire TV
Fire TV supports Miracast mirroring: hold the Home button on the Fire remote → Mirroring, then start mirroring from the phone. For sending files or installing apps, DLNA and direct transfer work better.
Any TCL — play a file directly (DLNA)
Rather than mirroring the whole screen, hand the TV a file and let it play it. Full quality, no battery drain, and the phone stays usable.
- Install Send Apps to TV on the phone. Nothing to install on the TV.
- Let it find the TCL on your network.
- Pick a photo, video or song and send it.
If it does not work
- Different Wi-Fi bands. Phone on 5 GHz, TV on 2.4 GHz — the commonest cause by a distance. Same band, same network.
- AP isolation on the router stops devices seeing each other. Turn it off.
- Guest network — move the phone to the main SSID.
- Black picture when mirroring Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video is copy protection. It cannot be worked around; play the file directly instead.
- Roku screen mirroring set to "Never allow" — check Settings → System → Screen mirroring.
Installing apps on a TCL Google TV or Fire TV?
The same app sends an APK from your phone and installs it on the TV, split APKs handled properly — which is where most sideloading attempts fail.
How to install apps on Fire TV and Android TV