Smartphone screens may be larger than ever these days, but when you want to share something with a group, sometimes a big TV screen is exactly what you need. One minor annoyance I’ve had with Samsung phones since I started using them is the inability to cast my screen to a Chromecast or Android TV. Samsung does have screen casting built into One UI (called Smart View), but that only works with Miracast devices like Samsung TVs and Rokus. Thankfully, the recent discovery of a labs menu hidden within One UI changes things and adds some extra features to play with.
I’ve tested these steps on a Galaxy S23 Ultra and a Z Fold 4, running One UI 5.1. They may work on older versions, but we haven’t verified that yet.
How to enable Google Cast
With that done, you may bring down your quick settings, tap on Smart View like usual, and see all your Chromecast, Android TV, and Google TV devices. The developer menu is only available by repeating the steps above, so if you plan to mess around in there, record that password for future use. I’d also be careful not to mess with any other settings unless you know what you’re doing. Thankfully, once you’ve enabled Google Cast, it will stay enabled.
Turn your phone into a portable monitor
you’re able to use also your phone if you need quick access to a second screen for your Windows 10 or 11 PC. Follow the steps above to access the developer menu. Once there, enable theStart SecondScreentoggle. With that done, tap on those words themselves to open the settings for this feature. Here you can choose if you want to prioritize low lag or smooth video.
Once this is switched on, pressWindows key + Kon your PC keyboard and pick your phone from the list. Sadly, Windows only supports 16:9 aspect ratios, so you’ll get black bars on your display. This toggle also switches itself off after every use, so if you plan to use this frequently, make sure you remember that password. I’m not sure how useful a tiny phone as secondary screen really is, but it’s cool nonetheless.
It’s so frustrating to see how Samsung has hidden Google Cast away like this, and we’re not sure why it’s been swept under the rug like this. It’s a long-requested feature, and far more Google Cast devices are out there than Miracast. Perhaps it’s biding its time here, awaiting a future version of One UI that will enable it by default. This discovery also makes us wonder how many other Samsung apps have hidden menus like this — hopefully we’ll discover more of them in time.
Thanks: @VedantKalore
