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Photos from holiday trips often stay on a smartphone, even though they look much better on a TV's large screen. Until a few years ago, the simplest solution was to connect a computer via HDMI or use screen mirroring. Nowadays modern smart TVs offer far more convenient ways to browse photos, and manufacturers are developing their own apps and features that automatically organise photographs and memories.
Smart TVs offer far more convenient ways to display photos
The simplest solution is still wireless casting from your phone using AirPlay, Google Cast or Miracast. That way you don't have to plug in any cables or use a computer. With classic screen mirroring, however, the TV shows everything on your smartphone, which isn't always convenient when viewing photos with family or friends. A better option is to cast only selected photos or videos without sharing your whole device screen. Just open a photo in your gallery and use the media-casting feature available in many apps. Another helpful option is to search photos beforehand by location or date taken. This lets you quickly display photos from a particular trip without having to scroll through your entire library. Smartphones automatically group photos by location and events, which streamlines the whole process. It's convenient for both Android and iPhone users. In practice, it lets you show photos on a big screen within seconds.
Apple and Google are developing their own photo browsing apps
Dedicated photo apps available on Smart TVs and streaming devices are playing an increasingly important role. Users of Apple TV can use the Photos app, which automatically syncs the entire library with iCloud. The app lets you easily browse albums, videos and Memories without needing to use your phone. It also supports multiple user profiles, so each household member has access only to their own photos. Apple also lets you set photos as the screen saver, so the TV automatically displays family memories when it is not in use. In Google's ecosystem the situation is a little different. TVs with Google TV offer integration with Google Photos mainly via the screen saver and by searching photos with Google Assistant. Google says it will further develop features as it rolls out Gemini AI. Interestingly, the first TV maker to offer fuller integration of the Google Photos app was Samsung, although the app currently mostly shows automatically generated Memories rather than the entire photo library.
Modern TVs today offer far more ways to display photos than they did just a few years ago. Besides the classic casting of images from a phone, users can take advantage of dedicated apps, automatic memories and screensavers that showcase photos from the cloud. Everything suggests that, as Apple and Google services evolve, browsing photos on the big screen will become even simpler and more intuitive.
source: flatpanelshd
