Screen Mirroring With Sound But No Picture [Here’s the fix!]

It’s frustrating when you use screen mirroring to share the pictures from your phone to brag about an event, but you end up with no picture on your smart TV. The good news is you won’t have to stare at the void for longer as proven hacks can settle the issue.

Screen mirroring with sound but no picture can be fixed by resetting your WiFi network or the source and display devices. You can also update your devices, check for signal interference, upgrade your subscription plan, or use an app.

In this post, we’ll dig deep into the issue and show you the top seven causes of screen mirroring not showing pictures. Best of all, we’ll do a blow-by-blow account of how you can fix each issue and make the wireless feature work seamlessly. 

Why is the sound working when there’s no picture during screen mirroring? 

Faulty video output causes no pictures to appear on your TV display, even if there’s sound. It can happen due to:

• a slow internet connection;
• limited subscription plan;
• faulty cables;
• outdated devices; and
• signal interference.

Screen Mirroring Sound but No Picture: Why and How to Fix

Here are the causes and fixes for the issue with pictures not appearing when screen mirroring from your phone. When you refer to these solutions to troubleshoot your devices, we recommend you apply them in the order they are presented. 

CAUSE: Sluggish Internet Connection

Oftentimes, screen mirroring will be carried out by transmitting the audio and video signal from the source to the display device through an over-the-air connection. In such cases, a WiFi internet connection is your best resource. 

Unfortunately, even this isn’t guaranteed, especially when your WiFi network is plagued by fluctuating internet speeds and disconnection issues. As such, you must ensure that your internet connection is at its best whenever you’re screen mirroring.

After all, relying on a slow internet connection only causes issues like screen mirroring having sound but no picture. Resetting your WiFi router and the network settings on your screen mirroring devices should be good remedies for this problem.

FIX 1: Reset your WiFi network

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Time to Perform Fix	2 minutes
Things Needed	• A WiFi router • An ethernet and power cable • A pen, toothpick, or paperclip

The best way of troubleshooting a slow internet connection is to soft reset and factory reset the WiFi router. For minor errors, a soft reset will usually suffice, but there are times when it’s necessary to perform a factory reset to default settings.

As such, we recommend performing a soft reset first to check if your internet connection’s speed will improve. Otherwise, proceed immediately with a factory reset since it’s the best method for fixing software errors on your WiFi network.

Step 1: Unplug the ethernet cable at the back of your WiFi router.

Step 2: Press the WiFi router’s power button to turn it off and unplug its power cable.

Step 3: Wait for 30 seconds before plugging the cables back into the WiFi router and turning it back on.

Step 4: Use a pen to press the reset button inside the pinhole at the back of your WiFi router until it shuts down and initiates a factory reset.

Step 5: Wait until your WiFi router boots back up after the reset and test its internet connection.

FIX 2: Reset your phone and TV’s network settings

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	9
Time to Perform Fix	50 seconds
Things Needed	• A phone • A smart TV • A TV remote control

Resetting the network settings on your devices is our recommended method of troubleshooting their sluggish internet connection. It should be your go-to solution whenever you suspect a terrible network configuration is behind the connectivity issue.

Step 1: Head to your TV’s Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to General and go to the Network settings.

Step 3: Click the Reset Network option.

Step 4: Click Yes to continue the network reset.

Step 5: Head to your phone’s Settings.

Step 6: Scroll down to open General Management.

Step 7: Scroll down and select the Reset option.

Step 8: Click Reset Network Settings.

Step 9: Click Reset Settings and Reset on the next page to conduct the network reset.

CAUSE: Signal Interference from Nearby Bluetooth Devices

One more thing that can affect your WiFi network connection is a nearby Bluetooth device due to its use of the same 2.4GHz radio signal frequency. Unfortunately, using Bluetooth and WiFi at once causes this signal frequency to be congested.

After all, both wireless connection technologies are widely used nowadays, which means you’re more likely to suffer from the effects of the increased traffic. As such, you should be cautious when you have multiple wireless devices at home.

It’s because data transmission is blocked whenever signal interference occurs, so disconnection issues are more common now. Thus, you can tell if there’s signal interference when you do screen mirroring with no video and only audio.

FIX:  Move or turn off nearby Bluetooth devices

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	1
Time to Perform Fix	30 to 60 seconds
Things Needed	Nearby Bluetooth device

The best way to deal with signal interference is to move any nearby devices away from your WiFi network’s signal range. Doing so will prevent their signals from interfering with each other, which allows your internet connection to be stable for the screen mirroring.

If you don’t have somewhere to put your Bluetooth and wireless devices, you can turn off their Bluetooth features instead. Doing so will stop them from sending out 2.4GHz radio signals that will mess with your WiFi network and screen mirroring devices.

CAUSE: Outdated Devices

Using a device that has outdated system software is akin to walking in a dangerous neighborhood and asking for trouble. Unless the latest updates are riddled with bugs and glitches, keeping an old software version isn’t an excellent idea in most cases.

After all, even malware and malicious apps evolve to keep up with newer security features, which a software update provides. It’s why outdated devices are prone to various software-related errors and bugs in the first place.

FIX: Update your devices

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	7
Time to Perform Fix	5 minutes
Things Needed	• A working internet connection • A phone • A TVA TV remote control

Always have your devices updated to their latest software versions at all times. This is a way to keep them running at peak conditions and reduces the likelihood of encountering issues with features like screen mirroring.

Plus, updating your devices is how you patch up recurring problems from older software versions, like the issue with screen mirroring having sound but no picture. You hit two birds with one stone by installing the latest software update. 

Step 1: Head to your TV’s Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to Support and select the Software Update option.

Step 3: Click Update Now to install your TV’s latest software version.

Step 4: Head to your phone’s Settings.

Step 5: Scroll down and select the Software Update option.

Step 6: Click Download and Install to download the software update on your phone.

Step 7: Click Install Now to install your phone’s software update.

CAUSE: Incompatible Devices

There’s a wide variety of mobile devices on the market, and the options are almost endless, but it isn’t always a good thing. It’s especially true if your phone isn’t from an established brand, which means it may not have standard features.

Even if your phone did have a screen mirroring feature, it might not be optimized to work well with other devices. It’s why issues like Android screen mirroring not working are common since most phone manufacturers use the Android OS.

It makes going for a cheaper Android phone from an obscure brand feel like playing a game of Russian roulette sometimes. After all, you’re never sure if the device you’re getting will have the most basic functions found on other phone brands.

FIX: Use a screen mirroring app

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	1
Time to Perform Fix	30 to 60 seconds
Things Needed	• A screen mirroring app • A working internet connection

If your phone isn’t working well with the screen mirroring functionality of other devices, an alternative solution is to use a dedicated third-party app. For example, you can use the Screen Mirror App, which is compatible with various devices.

This app also supports the WiFi Alliance’s Miracast, Google’s Chromecast, Samsung’s DeX, and Apple’s AirPlay technologies. An all-in-one app that you can utilize for anything related to screen mirroring on your mobile phone.

It’s also a good alternative if iPhone screen mirroring has sound but no picture since it’s compatible with AirPlay. Moreover, this also works with gaming consoles — making it a versatile app worth having since it has multiple use cases.

CAUSE: Minor Software Error

If there’s anything you can’t prevent from occurring on any screen mirroring device, it’s the possibility of minor software errors occurring during use. Consequently, you wouldn’t be wrong to consider software errors a fact of life at this point.

They will happen regardless of how you take care of your devices, so your best bet is to troubleshoot them immediately once they’ve appeared. However, don’t let that discourage you from handling your devices well since it’s still vital to their longevity.

FIX: Reset your devices

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Time to Perform Fix	60 seconds
Things Needed	• A phone • A TV

Step 1: Press and hold your TV’s power button to open the control panel and select the Power Off option.

Step 2: Press the power button again to confirm this selection and shut down your TV.

Step 3: Press and hold your phone’s power key to open the power menu.

Step 4: Click Restart to reboot the phone.

CAUSE: Incompatible Subscription Plan

Sometimes, the screen mirroring will fail to produce images not because of an error but as a result of an incompatible subscription plan. In particular, this will happen if you try screen mirroring your mobile Netflix, or Amazon Prime apps to your TV.

If you were planning to save up with a mobile plan and use screen mirroring as a workaround, you might be disappointed to find that it’s not working. This happens when these apps restrict screen mirroring to a TV with a mobile-only subscription.

FIX: Upgrade your plan

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	1
Time to Perform Fix	30 to 60 seconds
Things Needed	• A phone • A working internet connection

The best solution for this problem is to change your current plan to one that supports streaming on your TV. Doing so should lift the screen mirroring restriction and allow you to enjoy your favorite content on your large TV display.

CAUSE: Faulty Cables

Aside from a WiFi internet connection, you can screen mirror your phone to a TV using an HDMI or USB cable. It means that if a wireless connection relies on a good internet connection, this method relies on a working HDMI or USB cable.

As such, you wouldn’t be wrong to suspect a cable fault when you do screen mirroring with no video, only audio. 

FIX: Replace the cable

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	1
Time to Perform Fix	10 seconds
Things Needed	A replacement cable

For a faulty HDMI or USB cable, the only solution we recommend is to purchase and use a working replacement. 

Tips to Fix Screen Mirroring Not Working Properly 

If you still haven’t successfully mirrored your phone’s screen to your TV display, we have some tips below that might help. Be sure to observe them whenever you want to do a screen mirroring from your phone.

• Connect your phone and TV to the same WiFi network with the same frequency band.

• Check your TV’s product guide to see if it supports screen mirroring.

• Use a phone with AirPlay support if you want it to be screen mirroring to an Apple TV.

• Inspect your TV display for LCD damage.