Smart TV technician helping fix LG TV casting issues

Steve H.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: LG webOS TVs, Screen Share & Miracast, AirPlay 2, casting from Android/iPhone, router & Wi-Fi setup, Chromecast & streaming apps

LG TV not casting from phone — Android, iPhone, AirPlay and Screen Share issues explained

Technician avatar Technician
Hey! Let’s figure out why your LG TV won’t cast from your phone and get screen mirroring working again. A few quick details so we don’t guess:
• Exact LG TV model or year (e.g. LG OLED C1, NanoCell, webOS 5/6/7)?
• What phone are you casting from — Android (Samsung, Pixel, etc.) or iPhone?
• How are you trying to cast: the cast icon in apps (YouTube/Netflix), LG Screen Share, the LG ThinQ app, or AirPlay?
• What exactly happens — TV doesn’t appear in the cast list, you get “no devices found”, it connects but shows black screen, or LG TV disconnects from casting after a few seconds?
With that, we’ll go step by step through the full LG TV casting troubleshooting so you don’t have to keep rebooting everything.
Customer
It’s an LG webOS TV from a couple of years ago. My Android phone used to cast YouTube and other apps fine. Now the cast icon doesn’t see the LG TV most of the time, or it connects and instantly disconnects. I also tried the LG Screen Share option but my phone keeps saying “no nearby devices” or “unable to connect”.
Technician avatar Technician
Got it, that’s a classic LG TV not casting from phone scenario.
Usually one of these happened:
• Phone and TV are no longer on the same Wi-Fi network (guest network, different band, or new router).
• The TV’s Screen Share / AirPlay / Miracast feature is turned off or hidden after an update.
• The TV or router firmware changed and now blocks casting/discovery traffic so your LG TV doesn’t show in the cast list.
• A VPN, hotspot, or “AP isolation” is enabled, so the phone can’t “see” the TV.

We’ll:
1) Make sure your LG TV and phone are really on the same network and allowed to talk to each other.
2) Turn on the correct Screen Share/AirPlay/Chromecast options on the LG TV.
3) Test casting from both an app (like YouTube) and full screen mirroring so you have a reliable way to cast again.
Customer
The router has one Wi-Fi name for 2.4 and 5 GHz. Both the LG TV and my Android phone say they’re on the same Wi-Fi. There’s no VPN on the phone. But YouTube still says “no devices found” and Screen Share on the LG TV just sits there searching. How do I make my LG TV show up when casting from phone again?
Technician avatar Technician
Perfect, let’s do a clean round of network + LG Screen Share checks first.
Step 1 — Confirm same network and turn off “isolation” features
1) On the LG TV: Settings → Network → Wi-Fi. Confirm it’s on your main home Wi-Fi, not “Guest”.
2) On your phone: open Wi-Fi settings, tap your network name and make sure it’s the same as on the TV and there’s no “Private DNS/VPN” active.
3) In the router app/web UI, temporarily turn off options like “Guest network”, “AP isolation”, “Client isolation”, or “Block LAN access for wireless clients”. These can stop the phone from seeing the TV even if the SSID is the same.

Step 2 — Enable Screen Share / casting on the LG TV
1) Press the Home button on the LG remote and look for Screen Share or the Home Dashboard tile.
2) Open Screen Share and leave that screen open — this tells the TV to listen for Miracast/Screen Share requests.
3) On your Android phone, pull down Quick Settings and tap Cast / Smart View / Screen Mirror (name depends on brand). Wait a few seconds to see if the LG webOS TV appears in the list.
If the LG still doesn’t appear as a target, we’ll dig into advanced settings and, if needed, AirPlay/ThinQ options.
Customer
Screen Share shows on the TV and I see my Wi-Fi is the same on both devices. But my phone only sometimes sees the TV in the “Cast” menu and even then connecting fails. Do I need to use the LG ThinQ app, or should casting work directly from Android apps like YouTube and Netflix?
Technician avatar Technician
Great question. For most LG webOS TVs, you have two main options:
• Cast from inside apps (YouTube, Netflix, etc.) using the cast icon.
• Mirror the whole screen using Screen Share / Miracast or the LG ThinQ app.

Step 3 — Test casting from a built-in app
1) With TV and phone on the same Wi-Fi, open YouTube on your phone.
2) Tap the cast icon (rectangle with Wi-Fi waves) in the top-right.
3) Wait up to 10–15 seconds for devices to appear; choose your LG TV name if it shows up.
4) If the TV appears but can’t connect, try backing out of Screen Share on the TV, then re-open Screen Share or YouTube on the TV so the app is “awake”.

Step 4 — Test mirroring via LG ThinQ (extra option)
1) Install the LG ThinQ app on your phone and sign in.
2) Add your LG TV in ThinQ and look for an option like “View phone screen on TV” or “Share screen”.
3) Start mirroring from there and see if it’s more reliable than the generic Android cast menu.
If casting works via one method but not the other, we’ll tune the specific protocol (Miracast vs app-cast vs AirPlay).
Customer
After trying that, YouTube will sometimes connect to the LG TV but the picture freezes or I get “connection lost” after a bit. Other times it plays on the TV but controls from the phone stop working. So casting sort of works but it’s really unstable.
Technician avatar Technician
If the LG TV keeps disconnecting while casting, that’s usually Wi-Fi stability or a TV setting, not the app itself.
Step 5 — Improve Wi-Fi for casting
• If possible, connect the LG TV via Ethernet cable to the router. A wired TV + wireless phone is the most stable setup.
• If Wi-Fi only: move the router so it has a clearer line of sight to the TV, and avoid using very crowded 2.4 GHz channels.
• Make sure the TV is not on a “guest” SSID and that the router is not blocking multicast or casting traffic.

Step 6 — Check LG TV power/network options
1) On the TV go to Settings → General → Devices → TV Management and temporarily disable options like Quick Start+ or “Energy saving” that can put the Wi-Fi to sleep.
2) In Settings → Network → Advanced, use “Reset to initial network settings” and reconnect the TV to Wi-Fi from scratch.
3) Restart the router and TV after changes.
Once the TV has a solid network connection, casting and mirroring from your phone should remain stable instead of dropping every few minutes.
Customer
That helped with Android apps. I also have an iPhone, and AirPlay used to work with this LG TV. Now when I tap screen mirroring on my iPhone, the TV either doesn’t show up or it connects and then drops back to the home screen.
Technician avatar Technician
Great, let’s tune the AirPlay on LG TV side specifically.
Step 7 — Check AirPlay settings on the LG TV
1) Press Home on the LG remote and open Home Dashboard or the AirPlay tile if you see it.
2) Go to AirPlay and HomeKit Settings and make sure AirPlay is set to “On”, not “Off” or “First-time only”.
3) If there’s an option like “Require Code”, start with “On first connection only” so it’s easier to pair.

Step 8 — Mirror from iPhone correctly
1) On the iPhone, turn off any VPN, then confirm it’s on the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
2) Open Control Center → Screen Mirroring and wait a few seconds.
3) Choose your LG TV (AirPlay) from the list and enter the 4-digit code that appears on the TV screen.
4) If you still get dropped connections, check for system updates on both the LG TV and the iPhone, install them, and reboot both devices.
If after this LG TV AirPlay is still not working, we’ll look at model compatibility and, if needed, a factory reset of just the network/AirPlay portion of the TV.
Customer
I think it’s working better now. One more thing: sometimes the LG TV doesn’t appear at all in the cast or Screen Mirroring list on any phone. Is there anything I can change so I don’t have to fight with casting every time?
Technician avatar Technician
Absolutely — a few tweaks make LG TV casting from phone very reliable.
Preventive setup for LG casting / mirroring
• Keep the LG TV and all phones on the same main Wi-Fi, not mixing guest/hotspot networks.
• Leave Screen Share / AirPlay enabled on the TV and avoid turning those off between uses.
• If your router has “Guest Wi-Fi”, “IoT isolation”, or “Client isolation”, keep those disabled for the SSID used by the TV and phones.
• Update the LG webOS firmware and your phone OS regularly so casting protocols (Chromecast, Miracast, AirPlay 2) stay compatible.
• When things feel “laggy”, first power-cycle the TV and router, then retry casting before changing lots of settings.
With this in place, your LG TV should show up in the cast list quickly and stay connected while you stream or mirror.
Customer
What about older phones or older LG TVs? If casting still refuses to work, is there any fallback so I can still watch phone videos on the TV?
Technician avatar Technician
Good thinking. If a particular combo of phone + LG TV just won’t cooperate, there are still solid options:
• Plug a cheap Chromecast, Fire TV, or other streaming stick into an HDMI port and cast to that instead of directly to the TV.
• Use the LG TV’s built-in apps (YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video) and just use your phone as a remote/queue instead of mirroring the whole screen.
• For local videos, use a media app on the TV that can play from USB or a simple DLNA server on your network.
Those workarounds mean you’re not stuck if your specific model has quirks with Android cast, Miracast, or AirPlay.
Customer
After resetting the network settings, turning off Quick Start+ and checking AirPlay, my LG TV now shows up instantly and casting from both Android and iPhone works again. No more random disconnects. Thanks for walking me through the full LG TV casting fix.
Technician avatar Technician
Summary: when an LG TV won’t cast from your phone, first confirm TV and phone are on the same main Wi-Fi, then enable Screen Share / AirPlay on the LG TV and test casting from a simple app like YouTube. If the connection is unstable, improve Wi-Fi or use Ethernet and reset the TV’s network settings. For iPhone, make sure AirPlay is on in the LG settings and mirror from Control Center. Still stuck? Open the chat and an expert will walk you through the exact steps for your LG model and phone.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when an LG TV won’t cast from a phone: put the TV and phone on the same main Wi-Fi, disable guest/AP isolation, then open Screen Share or AirPlay on the LG TV. From your phone, use the cast icon or Screen Mirroring to choose the LG TV and enter the AirPlay code if asked. If casting keeps failing or disconnecting, reset the TV’s network settings, turn off Quick Start+, update TV and phone firmware, and retry. Using Ethernet for the TV often makes casting much more stable.

Why your LG TV won’t cast from phone

Most LG TV casting problems are caused by the TV and phone not really being on the same network, disabled Screen Share/AirPlay settings, or unstable Wi-Fi. When the router is changed, a guest network is enabled, or AP isolation is turned on, the phone cannot discover the LG webOS TV, so the cast icon shows “no devices found”. Firmware updates may also change how AirPlay 2, Miracast or Chromecast built-in work, so the TV stops appearing as a target until the correct options are re-enabled in the LG settings and the devices are updated.

How to test if LG TV casting really works again

After you’ve adjusted the settings, run a quick test: play a YouTube video on your phone and use the cast icon to send it to the LG TV. Let it play for at least 10–15 minutes, pausing and skipping around from the phone to see if the connection stays stable. Then try screen mirroring (Screen Share on Android or AirPlay from an iPhone) to check that full-screen mirroring also works. If both casting and mirroring are solid and the LG TV shows in the device list every time, you’ve solved the main problem. If only one method works, we can focus on that specific protocol and fine-tune it in chat.

LG TV won’t cast from phone — quick troubleshooting tips

Most issues are fixed by putting both devices on the same network, turning on Screen Share or AirPlay, and resetting network settings.

Quick path: confirm that your LG smart TV and phone are on the same Wi-Fi, with no guest network or VPN in the way. On the TV, open Screen Share, Home Dashboard or AirPlay settings and make sure casting is allowed. Restart the router, TV and phone, then test from a simple app like YouTube. If casting is still unreliable, reset the TV’s network settings, update webOS and your phone OS, and consider using a wired Ethernet connection to stabilise streaming.

Disclaimer: This information is AI-generated and intended for general guidance only. For advice specific to your LG TV model, router and phone, please consult a verified expert on Whizz-Tech before making decisions.

Understand what these prompts mean

Getting Started Is Easy

Ask for help, 24/7

Members enjoy round-the-clock access to 12,000+ verified Experts, including smart TV specialists who fix casting and mirroring issues, plus other tech, mechanics, vets, and more.

Expert will respond in minutes

We match you with an Expert who specialises in LG TVs, Android/iPhone casting and Wi-Fi issues. Talk, text, or chat — whichever you prefer.

Save time & money

No scheduling hassles or expensive in-home TV visits. Fixing LG TV casting problems online can save you both time and money.

FAQ

Why won’t my LG TV cast from my phone even though Wi-Fi is working?

Even if Wi-Fi works, your LG TV and phone might be on different networks (guest vs main), or “AP isolation” on the router may block them from seeing each other. Also check that Screen Share or AirPlay is enabled in the LG TV’s settings and that no VPN is active on your phone while you try to cast.

Does my LG TV support AirPlay and screen mirroring from iPhone?

Many newer LG webOS TVs support AirPlay 2, but not all models do. Check the TV’s support page or go to Settings → Home Dashboard → AirPlay to see if the option is available. If you don’t see AirPlay, you can still often mirror using Screen Share from compatible Android devices or use a streaming device like a Chromecast or Apple TV.

Why does casting to my LG TV keep disconnecting or freezing?

Frequent disconnects usually point to weak or unstable Wi-Fi, a TV that’s too far from the router, or power-saving settings like Quick Start+ interfering with the network. Try using Ethernet for the TV, moving the router closer, disabling Quick Start+ temporarily, and resetting the TV’s network settings before testing casting again.

What can I do if my LG TV never shows up in the cast list?

First, make sure the LG TV is on and connected to the same main Wi-Fi as your phone. Open Screen Share or AirPlay on the TV so it listens for cast requests. On the router, disable guest network or client isolation features. If the TV still won’t appear, reset its network settings and check for firmware updates on both the TV and your phone.

Sources

Matt Verified Icon
Matt ● replies in < 1 min
Technician Expert
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trusted by 27,000+ customers
Avatar
Alex · Expert's Assistant
5 Tech Support Specialists are online right now.