When you are tired of watching media content on the TV and would like to have a family experience, you would check for the screen mirroring option. However, there is a disturbance waiting on the other end, which is, screen mirroring not working hardware problem. In this case, the Android phone you are using may not get connected to the Smart TV. The error message named, Unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue would be displayed on the screen. It is important to note that this error message occurs usually while using the Note and other Galaxy series of Samsung model phones. This article is dedicated to fixing hardware issue when trying to set up screen mirroring on your Smart TV.
How to Fix Unable to Start Screen Mirroring Because of a Hardware Issue
The causes for the issue with connecting the Android phone to the Smart TV are discussed below.
- Hardware Issues- The connecting power cord may be damaged or there might be some physical interference in the connection area.
- Poor Internet Connection- The Internet connection to which the devices are connected may be unstable or poor or might have an unsupported bandwidth.
- Compatibility Issues- The connecting devices, which are phone and TV, may be incompatible or may not support the Screen mirroring feature.
- Issues with Activation- The issues with the activation may be a major reason, such as the TV might not be shown as an option on the Phone. In another case, the Screen mirroring option may not be enabled in the phone settings.
- DRM Content- The apps that are DRM-protected content cannot be mirrored to the TV and you may face unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue.
Note: All the pictures relating to the Android phone are explained using a Samsung Galaxy A21s mode and are bound to vary on your phone based on the specifications.
Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods
To fix the issue with the screen mirroring on the device, you can try the basic troubleshooting methods elaborated in this section.
1A. Check Specifications
The first option is to ensure that the devices support screen mirroring features by checking for the specifications in the device manual.
Option I: Android Phone
You can find the specifications of the Android phone by a Google search using the phone model. For instance, the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A21s phone can be checked using the link given here.
Option II: Smart TV
Another option is to check if the Smart TV supports screen mirroring from the specifications. Similar to the previous option, you can use the link given here to check the specifications of the Smart TV (e.g. Samsung Smart TV) on your default web browser.
Also Read: How to Fix Samsung TV Wi-Fi Connection Issues
1B. Activate Screen Mirroring Option
The screen mirroring option has to be activated on your TV to ensure that the screen can be mirrored from Samsung phones.
- As a basic option, turn on your TV by pressing the power button and mirror your phone after the processing status is complete.
- If you have connected multiple devices to your TV using the connectivity ports, ensure that the correct input code is selected. Mirror your phone to the TV and select the input code from the list displayed manually to fix unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue by pressing the input mode or source button.
- In some models of the TV, the screen mirroring option has to be activated manually before mirroring the screen. Press the screen mirroring button on the Smart TV remote, then try mirroring the phone to the TV, and check if hardware issue when trying to set up screen mirroring is resolved.
- As the last method to fix screen mirroring not working hardware problem, ensure that you select the Allow option on the screen when trying to mirror your phone screen to the TV.
1C. Retry Screen Mirroring
In certain cases, the screen mirroring option might be stuck due to a temporary glitch or issue. You can retry connecting the screen to your TV after some time. This would help in resolving the momentary glitches in connecting your phone to the TV.
1. Pull down the screen to view the notification bar and swipe left on the screen.
2. Tap on the Smart View option.
3. In the Phone’s Other Device section, tap on the Smart TV you wish to connect to.
4. Select the Allow option on the TV to set up the connection.
1D. Remove Interference
As the screen mirroring is completely reliant on the wireless connection, any interference in the connection may be a reason for this issue. To remove such interference, you can try the troubleshooting options given below to fix unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue.
- The first option is to ensure that only one device is connected to the TV and is not hindered by other devices.
- Another option you can try is to enclose the distance between the Android phone and Smart TV. Try placing the phone at the side of the TV while screen mirroring.
- Another check is to remove the physical barriers in the connection area. Ensure to remove the furniture or any other physical obstacle between the devices.
1E. Disable Bluetooth Connection
Screen mirroring uses the wireless connection alone, so if you have enabled the Bluetooth connection on your phone after setting up the device, you may face this issue.
1. Pull up the main screen and tap on the Settings app.
2. Tap on the Connections tab to view all connections available.
3. Toggle off the Bluetooth option and retry connecting to the TV.
Also Read: How to Connect to WiFi Network using WPS on Android
1F. Fix Network Connection Issues
As the screen mirroring is achieved using the wireless connection, you need to ensure that the Wi-Fi network has no issue. You can follow the troubleshooting instructions given here to fix the issue.
- The first option is to ensure that the Wi-Fi connection is enabled on your phone. Gently pull down the screen and tap on the Wi-Fi icon to enable the connection to fix unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue.
- Also, enable the Wi-Fi connection on your TV by accessing the Network option on the Settings page.
- The devices have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to ensure that the transfer of data is steady and stable. Connect the devices to the same network to fix hardware issue when trying to set up screen mirroring.
- As the last approach to fix screen mirroring not working hardware problem, you can follow the instructions in the guide to reset the Network connection.
1G. Restart Android Phone
Sometimes, the temporary glitches on the Android phone may hinder the screen mirroring feature. You can try restarting your phone to fix the issue. To do so, follow the instructions in the guide given here to restart your Android phone.
1H. Power Cycle TV
Another reason for the issue might be a glitch on the Smart TV. To fix this, you can try power cycling your TV.
1. Press the power button and wait till the screen goes black.
2. Unplug the power cable from the power socket and re-plug it after 10 minutes.
3. Press the power button again and check if you can screen mirror your phone.
1I. Try Another Smartphone
Sometimes, the incompatibility with the devices may be a major reason for the issue. You can try using another smartphone to connect to the Smart TV to see if unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue is resolved. Try using a smartphone from another manufacturer such as Vivo and try mirroring your screen to the TV.
Method 2: Clear App Cache
If there are numerous cache files on your phone, you may face this issue. You can try clearing the cached data of the installed apps to fix the issue.
1. Open the Settings app in your smartphone.
2. Tap on the Apps setting to view the installed apps.
3. Tap on the apps individually.
Note: You can see the storage consumed by the app on your phone under the app.
4. Under the Usage section, tap on the Storage option.
5. Tap on the Clear Cache option to clear the cache files of the app.
Also Read: How to Mirror Android Screen to your PC without Root
Method 3: Change Aspect Ratio of Phone
If the aspect ratio of the phone is set to a higher resolution such as 2.25:1, you may face the issue. You have to ensure that the aspect ratio is set to standard settings like 4:3 or 16:9.
1. Follow the instructions given earlier to access the Smart View on your phone.
2. Tap on the three vertical dots at the top-right corner of the page.
3. Tap on the Settings option.
4. In the Phone > Other device section, tap on the Phone aspect ratio option.
5. Select a suitable aspect ratio and mirror your screen to the TV.
Method 4: Update Firmware
Using outdated firmware may be a hindering factor for mirroring the screen and unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue may occur. You can try updating the firmware of the devices by following the instructions given here to fix screen mirroring not working hardware problem.
Option I: Android Phone
As a first fix, try updating your phone to the latest version to fix hardware issue when trying to set up screen mirroring. Follow the instructions in the guide given here to learn the method to update the Android phone.
Option II: Smart TV
Another option is to update the Smart TV to the latest version.
1. Open the Google Chrome app using the windows search bar on your Windows PC.
2. Open the official website to download the firmware update (e.g. Samsung) and choose the desired product.
3. Click on the Download button in the Firmware section.
4. Use a data compression utility like WinZip to unzip the content and copy them to a media device like a USB drive.
5. Plug in the USB drive to the USB slot on your TV.
6. Press the power button on the remote to turn on the TV, press the Home button, and select the Settings option.
7. Select the Support tab on the left pane and select the Software Update option.
8. Navigate to the Update Now option and press the OK button.
9A. If there is an update, it would get automatically downloaded.
9B. If the automatic update is not available, select the USB option and wait till the update is installed.
10. Wait till the TV restarts automatically and check if you can mirror your screen now.
Also Read: Fix Screen Mirroring Amazon Firestick Issues
Method 5: Connect from Safe Mode
If none of the methods work in resolving unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue, you can try connecting the phone from Safe mode. This would clear all the interference and you can easily connect the phone to the TV.
Step I: Enter into Safe Mode
The first step is to enter into the Safe mode manually.
1. Press the power button on the side and long tap on the Power off option.
2. Tap on the Safe mode option to enter into the safe mode.
Step II: Screen Mirror Phone
Try following the instructions given earlier to mirror your screen to the TV using the Smart View option.
After you have disconnected the screen from the TV, follow the instructions in the guide given here to exit out of the Safe mode on your phone.
Method 6: Activate Screen Mirroring on Rooted Phone
If you have rooted your phone, you might not be able to use the conventional method to screen mirror your phone. Screen mirroring not working hardware problem might occur in this case. You can follow the instructions in the method to activate this option and fix hardware issue when trying to set up screen mirroring in the rooted phone.
1. Follow the instructions given in the guide to root your phone.
2. Open the Play Store app from the main menu.
3. Use the search bar at the top to search for the EX File Explorer app and tap on the Install button on the appropriate search result.
4. From the main menu, open the EX File Explorer app.
5. Tap on the menu button at the top-left corner and set the Root Explorer option to ON.
6. Open the System folder.
7. Tap on the three-vertical dots of the build.prop file and tap on the Edit option.
8. Add the following command line in the code and tap on the back icon at the bottom.
wlan.wfd.hdcp=disable
9. Tap on the YES option and grant the root permissions to the file.
10. Reboot your phone by following the instructions in the guide given here.
Method 7: Use Third-party Services
To fix screen mirroring not working hardware problem, you can try using any third-party services to mirror your screen. This would aid as an alternative in mirroring the devices that do not have the in-built mirroring feature.
Option I: Mirroring Apps
If the screen mirroring feature is not available on your phone, you can use the ink given here to learn about various methods to share the screen with other devices.
You can alternatively use the third-party apps given below.
Option II: Chromecast
Another option is to use a third-party device like Chromecast. To use this device, you necessarily need not possess a Smart TV. Just connect the Chromecast to the HDMI port on your TV and use the apps.
Also Read: How to Mirror Your Android or iPhone Screen to Chromecast
Method 8: Factory Reset Phone
As a final resort to fix unable to start screen mirroring because of a hardware issue in the Android phone, you can try resetting the phone to the default settings by following the instructions given in the link. However, this method is not recommended as it may cause the loss of data on your phone.
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