How to Cast to Firestick from a Smartphone? [iOS & Android]

Welcome to the Firestick wizard where steps about how to cast to Firestick are outlined. Have you ever found yourself staring at your TV screen, wishing you could summon your favorite videos or binge-worthy shows from your smartphone? If yes, follow these steps to unlock the mystical powers of Firestick casting.

About Firestick Casting

Before delving into the steps about how to cast phone to Firestick, let’s step into the realm of casting.

What’s Casting?

The term “casting” enters the view of lots of people with the advent of technologies like Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, which allows you to stream different types of media files effortlessly between compatible devices.

Well, what is casting? Casting, in the context of digital media consumption, refers to the process of wirelessly streaming content from one device to another. Typically, this involves sending audio, video, or both from a smartphone, tablet, or computer to a larger display, such as a TV.

How Does Casting Work?

When you start a cast, for example, casting a phone to Firestick, the content you choose on the phone is not physically transferred to Firestick. Actually, the phone instructs Firestick to access and stream the content directly from the internet or a local network source.

Confusion about the casting work principle might still be left. Here comes another explanation that is easier to comprehend: when the cast is initiated, your phone essentially becomes a remote control, allowing you to control the receiving device (here is Firestick).

Are Casting and Screen Mirroring the Same?

While generally casting and screen mirroring are lumped, they have many differences from usage purposes to employed technologies.

The most distinct difference between them is: while casting to Firestick from your phone, you can continue to use the phone for other tasks without interrupting playback; while screen mirroring, whatever you see on your phone screen is mirrored on the TV with Firestick connected to.

In the following, I would like to show you how to start real Firestick casting.

Can You Cast to Firestick?

Take it easy. As long as you have a smartphone that runs new versions of Android or iOS, you can cast your preferred videos or photos from the device to another device with a large screen to increase your entertainment.

How to Cast to Firestick?

To cast a video or other type of content from an Android phone to Firestick, you can try the casting feature built in apps like YouTube or Netflix, use a professional casting app, or install an AirPlay receiver on Firestick, and the second method is applied to various cases.

Method 1. Use the Built-in Casting Feature

Many popular apps, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify, have a built-in casting feature, which is always in the top-right corner. With the feature, you can cast a video from these apps to your Firestick with ease.

Step 1. Check if your smartphone and Firestick are connected to the same network. This step is necessary as the difference in network connection will cause your Firestick not to be detected by your smartphone.

To check Firestick’s network connection, you can go to Settings > Network.

Step 2. Launch the app on your iPhone or Android phone and start playing a video.

Step 3. Tap the cast icon in the top-right corner.

Step 4. Choose your Firestick from the list and wait for the video to appear on the large screen.

Method 2. Use the Casting App

What to do if you want to cast photos from your smartphone to your Firestick? You can try the Screen Mirroring app from BoostVision, an app developer devoted to boosting your visual experience.

The app comes with screen mirroring and casting features. The casting feature helps you cast online or local content (images and videos included) from iPhone or Android to various streaming devices, like Firestick.

Here’s how to use the app for Firestick casting:

Step 1. The network connection should also be the same on your smartphone and Firestick.

Step 2. Get the app from the Google Play or the App Store.

Step 3. Launch the app on your smartphone and click the Tap to connect zone.

Step 4. Choose your Firestick among the devices and tap the Connect button.

Step 5. Once the connection is set up, tap the Video, Web Video, or Photo section and follow the on-screen instructions to initiate the cast.

Method 3. Install an Airplay Receiver App on Firestick

Apple devices have their own strategy to stream content to other AirPlay-compliant devices wirelessly and easily. However, Firestick does not support AirPlay. To AirPlay to Firestick, there is a trick that you make your Firestick AirPlay-compliant by installing an AirPlay receiver app on the streaming device.

AirPlay Cast for Fire TV is a powerful app that allows you to cast content from multiple devices that use different casting technologies, including AirPlay, Google Cast, DLNA, and more.

How to cast to Firestick from an iOS device with the AirPlay receiver app? The steps are as follows.

Step 1. Download the app on your Firestick and confirm your iOS device and Firestick are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. On your iOS device, launch a video from a browser and tap the cast icon.

Step 3. Choose your Firestick from the pop-up window and wait for the connection to be set up.

When the connection is established, the video will be displayed on the TV screen, and during the playback, you also can use your iOS for other activities.

Wrapping Up

Casting is a good way to share interesting photos and videos with your friends or families and all of you will have a better entertainment experience. If you have a Firestick, initiating Firestick casting comes to be very easy through the built-in casting feature in YouTube or other steaming services, a third-party casting application, or an AirPlay receiver app on your Firestick.

How to Cast to Firestick FAQ

Q: Why can’t I cast to my Firestick?

The reasons might vary and you can exclude them one by one within several steps.

1. Check the network connection. Your Firestick should be connected to the network your smartphone or other sending device uses.
2. Restart both devices. Your devices might suffer temporary glitches that cause the issue, and a restart process typically be useful.
3. Update both devices to the latest version. Old versions may have bugs that stop you from casting to your Firestick.
4. Choose a different content to cast. The content you failed to cast to your Firestick might be under copyright protection.

Q: How do I cast YouTube videos to a Firestick?

Launch the app and start playing a video. On the playback screen, tap the cast icon in the top-right corner and choose your Firestick from the list. If your Firestick is not displayed, ensure that your two devices use the same Wi-Fi network and start the cast again.