Now that multimedia content has multiplied more than ever and we have many options to enjoy, Android TVs are becoming more useful. A technology that can be already integrated into our smartphone or be part of another device. However, not all computers are as fast as we would like and of course we are not satisfied if our TV is outdated.
Whatever your situation, you will be able to benefit from having an old and disused mobile at home. You just need to know the connection methods so that the mobile becomes the Android TV that you need so much and thus be able to watch content or even play games on your smart device along with the television. The possibilities and advantages can be endless, although surely once you start it up, you can think of many other uses and ways to enjoy it.
Prepare the mobile
Before starting the more complex process, we have to make a series of modifications to our old mobile if we want it to become the best friend of our television. For this, you have to take several things into account, which we are going to fulfill point by point until we leave it as it should not give us any problem.
Change Google account
Although it may seem unnecessary, it is the most important given that it is a mobile that will be close to the television and dedicated exclusively to multimedia content. Therefore, it is not necessary that you are receiving our emails or generally have access to our account. We can create an exclusive account to become our Smart TV.
We are going to do this from Settings> Accounts> Google. Inside we are going to touch on adding a new account and once completed, we proceed to delete the previous Google account.
Leave only what you need
Neither social networks, nor banking apps or even note apps have to be on the smartphone with the use that we are going to give it. To make our mobile transformed into Android TV perform in the best way, we must delete all the apps not focused on multimedia content that give us entertainment and fun options. Maintaining them is a waste of space and resources.
Don’t neglect the battery
Although we use it together with the TV, it is still a mobile and requires battery charges and discharges. So that we do not have any problems, we must always keep in mind at a certain time of day that we must charge it, especially if we use it daily to watch something on television.
Options on your Smart TV
For all those users who have the old Android mobile already prepared and a Smart TV at home, they will be able to enjoy a variety of very interesting options with a variety of options. Being able to enjoy watching everything on the television, while in older televisions that will be more limited.
We have to know that all or the vast majority of Smart TVs have miracast, a technology that can be identified as Chromecast on many televisions. This allows us to send content to TV from a smartphone . To achieve this we only have to enter with the TV remote control in the settings and tell it to the WiFi network or by cable.
Then in the mobile converted into Smart TV we only have to use one of the many compatible apps that exist. A very extensive list that is completely free and that begins with YouTube, but it reaches practically any service that we imagine or know, be it video or music.
Once we have the apps installed and we log into them, when we are on the same WiFi network as the TV, we will find the option to send it to the TV in the services. It will only be a matter of tapping on the small icon in the form of a batch and choosing the content, or vice versa. Change content on our mobile TV Box as many times as we want.
But if there is a service that is not compatible with Chromecast, we do not have to worry, since we will also be able to duplicate the screen with online TV. This is done from the settings of our Android mobile, in the connections section
But if the terminal is older, we can download Google Home and from the app itself we also have the option to share the image and sound that comes from the mobile.
Even so, not everything has to be wireless and the advantages of older televisions are also accessible to new ones, so we invite you to take a look at the following possibilities.
Connect your old mobile to the TV
In this case, where our television does not have the advantage of connecting to the internet, sending content from the television is not possible, although we will be able to send it via cable. All Android smartphones for years enjoy compatibility with MHL technology that what it offers us is the possibility of adapting the image via HDMI to the television.
In this way we only have to use an HDMI cable that works with MHL like the one we show you. Taking into account that the input must be USB Type C or Micro USB depending on the mobile phone. Once we connect the mobile to the television using the HDMI cable, we will see how the image is repeated but in a much larger format. Now we just have to put the desired video, series or content on the mobile screen and enjoy it.
For greater comfort, we can choose or use some accessories with the Android TV mobile, such as a computer mouse that when connected to the mobile allows us to control everything that happens on the TV screen from the comfort of the sofa. If we want to play, we can also connect a Bluetooth controller to the mobile and play games that the smartphone supports.