Reading a book, viewing your stunning photos, and watching videos from your phone can be fun. Do you know what is even more fun? Showing these off on a large screen! Apart from displaying the content of a smaller device on a larger screen, screen mirroring also allows users to wirelessly display their phone’s content on another screen, as used in presentations, meetings, or in other situations where you need a large audience to follow through on something important.
However, several users report that this feature is freaking them out because it accidentally turns on at awkward times. Are you experiencing that same issue? What if you want to turn off this feature but you don’t know how to? Read more as we discuss in detail how to disable screen mirroring on various devices.
How To Disable Screen Mirroring on Android
To avoid the embarrassment of streaming your phone’s screen to the TV downstairs or to workmates, you must disable screen mirroring. If you use an android phone, here’s the trick:
Most android phones come enabled with either the SCREEN MIRRORING or the SCREEN CASTING feature that lets you display your phone’s content on other devices via a wireless connection. Just pull down the hidden quick links on your phone’s screen by swiping your finger north to south and among the quick links, you’ll find the screencasting icon that looks like a box with the Wi-Fi logo in the bottom left corner of the box.
You can also access this feature through your phone’s SETTINGS. It is the same icon you notice on the top of the screen of any YouTube video that looks like a box with the Wi-Fi logo inside.
On locating this icon, tap on it once to start scanning for available devices. Tap it one more time to STOP the search. This will ensure the phone is not connected to any nearby device.
To turn it OFF completely, slide the SCREEN MIRRORING or the SCREEN CASTING slider left to the OFF position. This way, only you can enable it in the future.
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How To Disable Screen Mirroring on iPhone (Airplay)
Airplay is used on iPhones to stream or mirror your phone’s screen to other devices. Although the only way to stop Airplay from mirroring your screen on iPhones is turning it OFF, the method is quite different from how to turn off screen mirroring on android smartphones.
For older IOS versions and devices;
Tap the home screen, click on the ‘Settings icon and scroll down. Locate the ‘General’ tab and click on it. When the tab displays its options, scroll down to locate ‘accessibility’. Scroll down and locate the ‘guided access’ tab. On clicking the guided access tab, you will notice the ‘Mirror Display’ option with a slider in front of it. Slide the mirror display to the left to completely turn it off.
For newer IOS versions and devices,
Tap the ‘Settings icon’ on the home screen and scroll down. When you see the ‘General’ tab, click on it and scroll to ‘Airplay and Handoff’. If you click on it, you will see the ‘Automatically Airplay to TVs’ tab. Click on it to see the three options namely: Never, Ask, and Automatic. If you want to turn screen mirroring completely OFF, click on Never.
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How To Disable Screen Mirroring on Samsung TV
Sharing content from your phone to your Smart Samsung TV can be fun using the Samsung SmartThings app. To disable this feature, pick your phone and open the SmartThings app. Since this app is what connects your TV to your Phone and other devices, select the Smart View Option from the homepage. You will see a slider in front of it; simply slide this option left to disable screen sharing between your phone and the TV.
Alternatively, you may also put off ‘Allow Sharing’ between your phone and your Samsung TV. To put it off, select NO when asked to Allow Sharing. Another way to disable screen sharing is to disconnect the network connection between your phone and the TV on the SmartThings app. To do this, open Screen Sharing from the Connection guide and select NO. If you wish, you may also uninstall the SmartThings app.
How To Disable Screen Mirroring on LG TV
The LG ThinQ is the dedicated LG platform for linking and enabling TV sharing with your LG smart TV. With LG TVs, the process is quite straightforward. Open the app and go straight to Screen sharing. From the Screen Sharing tab, select the connected device(s) you want to disable screen sharing from. Select the Disconnect tab to complete the process.
Alternatively, you may uninstall the LG ThinQ app from your phone to cancel any active screen sharing settings between your phone and any device.
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How To Disable Screen Mirroring on Sony TV
Press HOME on your Sony Smart TV. On the homepage, select APPS. Scroll till you see the SCREEN MIRRORING tab. On this tab, you get the option to either enable or disable this feature. To turn it off, select Disable.
Smart Connect is the Sony platform where every screen-sharing connection is done. For Sony TVs, all you need to do is disable the ‘Screen Mirroring Mode’ from the Smart Connect app. Just as with every other TV mentioned above, you may also uninstall the app to cancel any possibility of screen sharing.
What Is Screen Mirroring on My Phone?
Screen mirroring is a technology that allows a small Android, Windows, or Apple device to display the contents on its screen through a TV or projector. The devices involved in the screen mirroring process will use a wireless connection to connect.
You can mirror media content like personal photos, music, videos, and games with screen mirroring. You can also mirror content from the internet or apps like Netflix or YouTube.
How to Disable Smart View On Samsung
If you want to disable screen mirroring on your Samsung, you should disable its smart view feature. Follow the procedure below to do that:
- STEP 1: Go to “Settings”
- STEP 2: Click on “Applications”
- STEP 3: Tap on the three dots in the top corner to display the “more options” tray
- STEP 4: Search for “Smart view” and tap on it to open it
- STEP 5: Select “Force stop”
How to Turn OFF Screen Mirroring On iPad
Follow these steps to disable screen mirroring on your iPad.
- Open “Control Center” on the iPad
- Select the “Screen Mirroring” option
- Select “Stop Screen Mirroring”
How to Turn OFF Screen Mirroring On iPhone 11
Follow these steps to disable screen mirroring on your iPhone 11:
- STEP 1: Open the “Control Center.” To do that on your iPhone 11, swipe up from the bottom of the screen
- STEP 2: Select “Screen Mirroring”
- STEP 3: Click on the option that says “Stop Screen Mirroring”
How to Turn OFF Screen Mirroring On iPhone 12
Follow these steps if you want to disable screen mirroring on your iPhone 12:
- STEP 1: Open the “Control Center.” To do that on your iPhone 12, swipe down from the upper-right corner of your screen
- STEP 2: Tap on the “Screen Mirroring” option
- STEP 3: Click on “Stop Screen Mirroring”
How to Bypass Screen Mirror Block
To prevent piracy, there are High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) restrictions that may hinder you from screen mirroring media contents.
If you want to bypass the content restrictions imposed by HDCP configurations, you can use an HDMI splitter. As long as the devices you want to connect have HDMI inputs, you can use the HDMI splitter to connect them together with the aid of an HDMI cable.
On another note, if your device doesn’t have an HDMI port, you can use a video capture card. It will enable you to bypass the screen mirror block if your device has USB ports.
How to Stop Someone from Mirroring Your Phone
If you want to stop someone from mirroring your phone, you should prevent them from accessing it remotely. However, if you feel someone has access to mirror your phone, you can use these tips to stop it.
- Don’t install apps outside the Play Store
- Apply two-factor authentication to every online activity you can
- Install a reliable antivirus
- You may receive messages containing phishing links. Try not to open any link you receive from suspicious sources
- Always update your phone’s operating system and the apps on it
- Spare time to always review the security of your accounts and change them once in a while
How Do I Know If Screen Mirroring Is OFF?
Sometimes you may have disabled screen mirroring on your phone without your intention. Follow the procedure below to find out.
On an iPhone:
- STEP 1: Open the “Control Center”
- STEP 2: Find the “Screen Mirroring” option
- STEP 3: Tap on it, and you will be able to see if there’s any device mirroring your screen. If there isn’t, then your screen mirroring must have been Off.
If you are using an Android
- STEP 1: Look for the “Screencast” or “Smart View” option in the quick links panel on your home screen
- STEP 2: Tap on it to view if there are any connected devices shown for screen mirroring. If there isn’t, then your screen mirroring must have been OFF.
How to Know If Your Phone Is Screen Mirroring
To know if your phone is screen mirroring, follow this procedure.
On an iPhone:
- STEP 1: Open “Control Center” on your iPhone
- STEP 2: Tap on the “Screen Mirroring” to see if your phone is screen mirroring through any device
On an Android:
- STEP 1: Open the Quick Settings panel by swiping down from the top of your Android device.
- STEP 2: Find and select the “Screencast” button. You will be able to see a list of the Chromecast devices on your network.
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John follows everything happening in the tech industry, from the latest gadget launches to some of the big-name moves in the industry. He covers opinionated pieces and writes on some of the biggest names in the industry. John is also a freelance writer, so he shares articles on freelancing every now and then. email: john@tekpip.com