Smart View Not Working: One Fix That Worked For Me

I’ve been using my Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for over a year and recently started watching Wayne on YouTube Premium. I usually connect my phone to the Samsung Smart TV via Smart View and enjoy my favorite shows or movies on the big screen.

Yesterday too, I played the second episode of Wayne on the YouTube app and tapped on the Smart View icon in the quick panel to cast my screen to the TV. However, Smart View wasn’t able to find my TV as it didn’t show up in the available device list. I even tried restarting the Smart View but it was still not able to find my TV.

As a techie, I’m mostly active on online forums and had read about Google’s privacy policy changes impacting Smart View after the One UI 3.0 (Android 11) update. I switched to the discussion threads again to get a detailed idea about the issue and find a solution to fix it.

Here’s how I quickly fixed the Smart View not working and also found an alternative if it’s not compatible with your TV:

If Smart View is not working on your TV, restart your Smart TV and Samsung device. Once both devices are turned on, open Smart View and select your TV from the available device list.

Restart Smart TV and Samsung Phone

If the Smart View isn’t showing your Smart TV in the device list or not connecting properly, it may be due to a temporary glitch while establishing a connection between the two devices. In that case, the best solution is to restart your Samsung phone and Smart TV.

Restart Your Samsung Smartphone

Press and hold the Power button of your smartphone
Tap Power off or Restart option on your screen
Once the device is completely off, press and hold the Power button till it turns on again

Soft Reset Your Smart TV

The best way to fix bugs or temporary glitches on your Smart TV is to soft reset it:

Unplug your Smart TV from the wall outlet
Wait for at least 60 seconds
Meanwhile, locate the Power button of your TV, press and hold it for 30 seconds
Plug the TV back in and turn it on

Once both the Samsung smartphone and your TV turns on, open the Smart View and search for the devices again. Once your TV name appears on the device list, tap on it and start sharing your screen.

Check Your Network Connection

To connect your phone to the TV via Smart View, both devices must be connected to the same WiFi network. If they’re on a different network connection, the Smart View won’t be able to connect with your TV.

Ensure that your Samsung phone and Smart TV are connected to the same WiFi network. Additionally, in case you’re trying to stream movies, or shows on apps such as Netflix, or YouTube, you’ll need a stable and high-speed internet connection.

To check if your internet is working properly, use the following manual checks:

Check your network or connection speed via other devices (smartphones, laptops, etc.)
Use any app that requires a high-speed internet connection such as YouTube, and check if it is working properly (no buffering or streaming issues)
Perform a speed test on Google or Speedtest.net

If you’re facing any internet issues, try soft resetting your WiFi router:

Unplug your router from the power outlet
Wait for about 30 seconds and then plug it back in
Connect both your TV and phone to the WiFi network again
Now check if the Smart View is working perfectly

Authorize Smart View On Your Smart TV

Some Smart TVs may need authorization while pairing them with Smart View.

To allow Smart View on your TV:

Swipe down from the top of your Samsung device screen to open the Quick Panel
Now tap on the Smart View icon
From the list of available devices, select your Smart TV
Check your TV screen after selecting the TV on Smart View for an Authorization prompt
If the prompt appears, tap on allow to start the screen-sharing

Adjust Aspect Ratio on Samsung Device

The aspect ratio on phones or tablets highly differs from Smart TVs. Considering how tall and wide your phone size is, the aspect ratios can vary.

Smart TVs usually use 16:9 while smartphones use 18 to 19:9 aspect ratios. This difference might often lead to issues when you use the screen sharing feature on your smartphone.

Smart View may not work perfectly in case the aspect ratios aren’t configured correctly. The display may look too small or uneven due to an incorrect aspect ratio.

Here’s how to adjust the aspect ratio on your Samsung smartphone/tablet:

Swipe down from the top of your smartphone/tablet to open the notification bar
Now tap on the Smart View icon
From the Smart View screen, tap on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen
Select Settings
Tap on Phone and go to Aspect Ratio
Select the aspect ratio of your Smart TV. It’s usually 16:9
Save your Settings and Confirm

Now try using Smart View again and check if you’re able to share your screen properly.

Check for Software Updates

Outdated software versions are the most likely cause of compatibility issues. Software updates also fix some temporary glitches or reported bugs that may prevent a successful connection between your Samsung device and Smart TV.

Firstly, check if your Samsung phone/tablet has software updates available. Here’s how:

Swipe down from the top of the screen using two fingers and tap on the Settings icon
Scroll down to find Software Update or System Updates based on your model and open it
Tap Download and Install, check for System/Software Updates
If the update is available, your device should automatically start downloading it, if it doesn’t, tap on Download now
Once the download is complete, follow the on-screen instructions for installation

There’s also a toggle switch available to enable or disable automatic downloading updates over WiFi. I’d recommend keeping it turned on to ensure that your device is up to date.

Update your Smart TV Software:

Go to the Settings of your Smart TV
Now navigate to the Support or Software Update option
Click on the option to start checking for updates
In case any new software is available, download and install it
Restart your TV after the update if required and try connecting it to Smart View again

Factory Reset the Smart TV & Samsung Device

As the last troubleshooting method, if Smart View is still not working on your Smart TV, you can try factory resetting both the TV and Samsung smartphone/tablet.

A factory reset will help remove any corrupt cache files or suspicious third party apps that may prevent your TV from working properly. Note that performing a factory reset would delete all app data, account information, personal settings, etc. on your TV.

Factory Reset Guide: Smart TV

Open the TV Settings and navigate to General
Now, search and click on the Reset option based on your TV model
In case your TV requires a code, enter 0000 as the default value
After entering the code, confirm the factory reset
Once the factory reset is complete, try using Smart View and check if it connects and works perfectly

Note: The Factory Reset option may have a different location in the Settings based on your TV model. You can refer to the TV manual to confirm the exact location.

If factory resetting your TV didn’t help, the issue might be related to the Samsung smartphone or tablet. You can opt to factory reset your Samsung device as well.

Factory Reset Guide: Samsung Device

Go to Settings of your device and select Factory data reset
Tap on Factory data reset again and read the on-screen information
When you’re sure swipe down and tap Reset
You may need to enter the security lock set on the phone
To confirm the reset and delete all information stored on your phone, tap Delete all
From there, you will be required to enter your Samsung account’s password if you have added a Samsung account to the phone
Once the reset is complete, your phone will restart from the initial setup screen

Contact Samsung Support

As a last resort to fix issues with your Smart View, get in touch with the Samsung Support Team via live chat, text, or call. Describe the issues you’re facing with Smart View in detail along with your smartphone and Smart TV model number and manufacturer.

After diagnosing the issue based on your description, Samsung experts will try to provide the best available troubleshooting method to help solve the issues with Samsung Smart View.

Android 11 (One UI 3.0) Update Removes Smart View Compatibility for Chromecast & Other Non-Samsung Devices

If you recently updated your Samsung device to OneUI 3.0 (Android 11), it’s most likely that you may have started facing issues while using the Smart View feature. With the updated Google privacy policy, the Smart View feature is no longer supported by Chromecast or other Non-Samsung devices.

The major issue is that your TV won’t appear in the available device list when you try to connect it via Smart View. Fortunately, there’s a best alternative you can use to start screen sharing right away in case the Smart View is not compatible with your TV.

Use the Google Home App

Ensure that your Samsung device and Smart TV or Chromecast device are connected to the same WiFi network
Open the Google Home app
Now, touch and select the device or TV you want to cast the screen to
Tap on Cast and select Cast Screen

Instead of using Smart View, Google Home will help easily cast your Samsung device screen directly to the TV without any compatibility issues. However, for this method to work, your Smart TV must have built-in Chromecast or you must be using a Chromecast device.

Get The Smart View Right on Your TV

Smart View allows Samsung device users to directly share the screen on their Smart TV. However, there may be several issues with it such as TV not found, unstable or blurred picture quality on TV, etc.

The best way to help fix Smart View not working on your Smart TV is to reboot your Samsung device. You can also perform a soft reset on the Smart TV and try connecting to the TV via Smart View again.

Ensure that you’ve got a stable internet connection and that both the TV and Samsung device are connected to the same WiFi network.

In case the video you’re trying to stream is zoomed in or too small, it may be due to the difference in the aspect ratio of the device and Smart TV. Adjust the aspect ratio and set it to ideal value, usually, all Smart TVs use 16:9.

If your device is currently running on Android 11, the Smart View won’t support Chromecast devices or Non-Samsung Smart TVs anymore. In that case, use the Google Home app to easily cast your phone’s screen to the TV and watch your favorite content on the big screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Smart View is not working?

There could be several reasons why Smart View is not working, such as outdated software, network connectivity issues, compatibility issues, and more. To troubleshoot the issue, try restarting your device and TV, verify if you have a stable internet connection, check for software updates, and ensure that your device and TV are on the same network.

Is Smart View no longer supported?

Smart View supports almost all Samsung devices and is compatible with Samsung Smart TVs. However, after the Android 11 (One UI 3.0) update, Google has reinforced changes in its privacy policy. This has led to the end of support for Smart View on Chromecast as well as Non-Samsung devices. In case you own a different brand Smart TV that has Chromecast built-in or you’ve got a Chromecast device, you can use the Google Home app to easily cast your phone screen to the TV.

How to turn on Smart View on my Samsung device?

The easiest way to turn on Samsung Smart View is to swipe down at the top of your device screen to open the notification bar. Swipe and search for Smart View icon from the available options. Now, tap and hold the icon to open Smart View menu. Wait for your Smart TV name to appear on the list of available devices. Ensure that both your TV and Samsung device are connected to the same WiFi network. In case you’re having trouble connecting via Smart View, try rebooting both devices.

How do I update my Samsung Smartphone and TV?

Based on your Samsung smartphone model, the Software update Settings location may vary.

Follow these steps based on your specific model:

Settings > Software update > Download and install
Settings > About device > Software update > Update now
Settings > About device > Software update > Download and install
Settings > Software update > Download updates manually

If you want to update your Smart TV software, Press Home button on your remote and select Settings. Now go to the Support section and navigate to Software Update. If the update is available, Select Update Now and click on OK to start updating.

Is Samsung Smart View available on all android smartphones?

Smart View app is available on the Google Play Store to download and install for android devices. However, it’s only compatible with android and Samsung devices running on Android 7 or newer versions. The latest android 11 update has removed compatibility for Samsung Smart View with Chromecast devices.

Additionally, it may not work with Non–Samsung TVs as well. As an alternative, you can use the Google Home app to connect to the Smart TV if your TV has built-in Chromecast or using a Chromecast device.