I wanted to watch a video I have on my phone so I used vlc chromecasting but that didn't support dubtitles so I wondered od lf there is a way to just plug my phone and play a video with subtitles with vlc on my mi box without any chromecasting? I tried that but I couldnt find a way to acces the phones files on TV.
Install VLC on TV. Plug phone into TV USB port with cable. Enable Media Device. VLC should be able to browse phone.
Was not really impressed with TV apps, I just chromecast. Google Files can also cast MP4s.
Install Kodi, plug in phone, navigate to video section, should see your phone listed there and it should be able to play back anything you have on your phone.
Since you tried chromecasting I assume you have Wi-Fi. Try both the Samba (SMB) and FTP protocols to see which one suits you best. You'll need to download 1) an app for your phone that turns your phone into an FTP or SMB server (your stock file explorer may have this feature) and 2) a file explorer on your Android TV that supports the protocol. Note: you won't need to plug your phone into the mi box for this to work. Edit: added note