How to print from your phone: Android and iPhone (2026)

Summary: To print from your phone you only need the phone and the printer to be on the same Wi-Fi network. On Android you use the built-in print service (Mopria); on iPhone and iPad, AirPrint, with nothing to install. This guide covers both systems step by step, how to print from your everyday apps, what to do if the printer doesn't show up, and the alternatives when there's no router.

Printing no longer means switching on the computer. Your boarding pass, the PDF contract, the group photo or the bank receipt go from your phone to the tray in under a minute, if you know where to tap. The catch is that each manufacturer calls it something different, and that gives the feeling it's complicated. It isn't. This guide organises it by operating system, by brand and by situation.

Key points

• Android prints on its own with the built-in Mopria service, present on more than 5 billion Android devices and compatible with more than 9,000 printer models (Mopria Alliance, 2026).
• On iPhone and iPad, AirPrint is built in: no apps, no drivers (Apple, 2026).
• Printing a document is three taps: Share → Print → choose printer.
• Without a router there are three routes: Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth and a USB-OTG cable (Android only).
• The number-one failure isn't technical: phone and printer on different Wi-Fi networks.

What you need before you start

Three conditions cover almost every case: a printer with Wi-Fi, phone and printer sharing the same network, and the printer switched on with no errors on screen. With that sorted, the operating system does the rest in seconds.

• A printer with Wi-Fi. Almost all sold since 2015 have it. If yours only has a USB cable, skip to the no-Wi-Fi alternatives section.
• The phone and the printer on the same network. It's the most common error: the phone is on the guest Wi-Fi or on the 5 GHz band while the printer uses the 2.4 GHz one. They must share a network. If you haven't connected it yet, we explain it in how to connect the printer to Wi-Fi.
• The printer switched on and error-free. A paper jam or an empty-ink warning makes it invisible to the phone.

A print service is the "translator" the phone uses to talk to the printer over the local network. On Android it's Mopria; on iOS, AirPrint. You don't have to configure them: they come ready set up.

How do you print from an Android phone?

On Android you have two routes: the built-in service, faster for one-off documents, and the manufacturer's app, with more control (scanning, ink levels, settings). To print a PDF or a photo, the built-in one is enough and there's nothing to install.

Mopria is the mobile printing standard that Android comes with out of the box. According to the Mopria Alliance itself, in 2026 its technology is present on more than 5 billion Android devices and is compatible with more than 9,000 models of printer and multifunction, which amounts to more than 120 million certified machines in use (Mopria Alliance, 2026). In practice: your Android already knows how to print on almost any Wi-Fi printer without you installing a thing.

Option 1 · The built-in print service (Mopria)

1. Open Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Printing (the path varies a little by phone brand).
2. Check that the Default Print Service is enabled. If it doesn't appear, install Mopria Print Service from Google Play; it's free and official.
3. The phone scans the network and shows your printer. Select it.
4. Go to the document, photo or web page you want to print, tap the menu (⋮) or the Share icon and choose Print.
5. Adjust copies, colour, paper size and double-sided, and confirm.

Option 2 · The manufacturer's official app

If you also want to scan from the phone, see how much ink is left or set up the printer for the first time, install your brand's app. We cover them in detail below.

Fact to quote: Android doesn't need an extra app to print. Its built-in service uses Mopria technology, which in 2026 covers more than 9,000 printer and multifunction models and comes enabled on more than 5 billion Android devices (Mopria Alliance, 2026). If you can see the printer on the network, you can print.

How do you print from an iPhone or iPad (AirPrint)?

On iOS there's nothing to install: AirPrint is built in and most Wi-Fi printers on the market are compatible. You open the file, tap Share, choose Print, select your printer and confirm. Apple does it with no drivers or downloads.

AirPrint is Apple's technology that lets you print at full quality from iPhone, iPad or Mac "without the need to download or install drivers", according to the brand's own documentation (Apple, 2026). Steps:

1. Open the file: a PDF, a photo, an email, a Safari page.
2. Tap the Share icon (the square with the upward arrow) or the menu (⋯).
3. Scroll down and tap Print.
4. Tap Printer and select yours from the list.
5. Choose the number of copies and the page range, and tap Print at the top right.

If your printer doesn't appear in the AirPrint list

It means that model doesn't support AirPrint, common in printers made before 2012 or very basic ones. Solution: install the manufacturer's app (HP Smart, Epson Smart Panel, Canon PRINT, Brother iPrint&Scan / Mobile Connect), which does print even when AirPrint isn't available.

Tip · check AirPrint in 10 seconds: before buying a printer, look for the "Works with AirPrint" logo on the box or in the tech specs. If it's there, printing from an iPhone will always be instant, with no apps or drivers, for the whole life of the machine. If you're going to replace your printer, we'll help you choose in a cheap printer for home.

Quick guide by brand: HP, Canon, Epson and Brother

The general steps work for almost everything, but each manufacturer has its app and its nuances. They all work with AirPrint on iPhone and with Mopria on Android; the app is only essential for the first setup or for scanning.

Brand	Official app	What the app adds	Built-in systems
HP	HP Smart	Initial Wi-Fi setup, scanning, ink levels, remote printing by email	AirPrint + Mopria
Canon	Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY (and Canon PRINT Business for laser)	Printing and scanning, photo cropping, advanced settings	AirPrint + Mopria
Epson	Epson Smart Panel	Setup, printing, scanning, ink levels and diagnostics	AirPrint + Mopria
Brother	Brother iPrint&Scan / Mobile Connect	Printing and scanning over Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth and even NFC	AirPrint + Mopria

A nuance from an official source: Brother notes that its app connects the phone "via Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless Direct or Bluetooth", depending on the model (Brother, 2026), and Epson Smart Panel lets you print and scan over a direct Wi-Fi connection too, with no router in between (Epson, 2026). The column that matters is the last one: if you just want to print a PDF, you don't need to install anything.

At Star Toner we print and test our own compatible consumables before selling them, and we do it from the phone just as any customer would: we send the job by AirPrint or Mopria, with the manufacturer's app installed and without it. What we see is that 100% of current Wi-Fi printers print without an app when phone and printer share a network. We reserve the app for scanning or for the initial setup.

Printing from your everyday apps

The Print menu is almost always behind the Share icon. What changes is where that icon hides in each app. The rule of thumb is simple: if you can "Share" something, you can print it.

• Email (Gmail, Outlook, Mail). Open the message and, to print an attachment, open it first. Then: three-dot menu → Print.
• Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive. Open the file inside the app, tap the menu (⋮) and choose Print or Share → Print.
• Photos. Open the image, tap Share → Print. Before confirming, check the paper size (10×15 cm for a photo, A4 for a sheet) so it doesn't come out cropped.
• WhatsApp. You can't print from the chat. Open the received document or photo, tap Share or the download icon and, from the viewer, choose Print.
• Web pages. In Chrome (Android) or Safari (iPhone): menu → Print or Share → Print. Handy for tickets, entries and purchase confirmations.
• Word, Excel and PDF. The Microsoft 365 apps and PDF readers have their own Print option inside the file menu.

Can you print from your phone without Wi-Fi?

Yes. When there's no router or the printer isn't on the network, you have three routes. The most robust is Wi-Fi Direct: the printer creates its own network that the phone connects to directly, with no router in between, and then you print with the usual print service.

• Wi-Fi Direct. Enable it on the printer's panel (Settings → Wi-Fi Direct), connect to that network from the phone and use the normal print service. It's the best option when there's no home network, and both Android and iPhone support it.
• Bluetooth. Available mostly on portable photo and label printers. Pair the phone with the printer from the Bluetooth settings and use the manufacturer's app.
• USB-OTG cable. Many Android phones support connecting the printer via a USB-OTG adapter. iOS doesn't support it for printing.

Wi-Fi Direct is a standard that lets two devices connect to each other without going through a router. In printing it's the perfect way out for a home with no network, a temporary office or an event.

What happened to Google Cloud Print?

If you were looking to print with Google Cloud Print, that feature no longer exists. Google stopped supporting it from 1 January 2021, and since then no operating system can print with it (Google, 2021). You don't need some odd substitute.

On Android, the built-in print service (Mopria) does exactly the same thing natively; on iPhone, AirPrint. And to send jobs remotely, each manufacturer's apps cover that today. If an old website still recommends Google Cloud Print, it's out of date: erase it from your memory.

How do I print from my phone when I'm not at home?

To send a document to the home or office printer while you're out, you need cloud printing. The most widespread option is HP Smart with remote printing: HP assigns your printer an email address, and any document you send to that address prints when it arrives.

According to HP itself, with these features you can "print PDFs, photos and email attachments from virtually anywhere", sending jobs remotely when you're away from the printer (HP, 2026). Brother and Epson offer equivalent features within their apps. The condition is simple: the printer must be switched on and connected to the internet at the other end.

Android versus iPhone: which is easier?

Both platforms print well; each stands out at something different. On both, printing a document is three taps. The iPhone wins on simplicity when the printer is AirPrint-compatible; Android wins on flexibility when there's no router, thanks to the USB-OTG cable.

	Android	iPhone / iPad
Built-in system	Print service / Mopria	AirPrint
Do you need an app?	Only to scan or set up	Only if the printer is very old
Initial setup	Manufacturer's app recommended	Automatic if AirPrint is present
Printing without a router	Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, USB-OTG	Wi-Fi Direct

The printer doesn't appear or won't print: quick fixes

If the phone can't find the printer or the job stays in the queue, it's almost always a network problem, not the phone's or the printer's. Go through this list in order and in 90% of cases it's resolved at the first or second point.

1. Same network. Confirm that phone and printer are on the same Wi-Fi. Watch out for guest networks and separated 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz bands.
2. Restart both. Switch the printer off for 30 seconds and back on; turn the phone's Wi-Fi off and on again.
3. Move closer to the router. A weak signal makes the printer disappear intermittently.
4. Check the printer's screen. A paper jam or a consumable warning takes it out of service for the phone.
5. Update the firmware from the manufacturer's app: it fixes frequent connection bugs.

If the printer receives the job but won't print despite having ink, that's another problem: we cover it in depth in the printer won't print even though it has ink. And if the problem is that it doesn't recognise the cartridge, see my printer doesn't recognise the compatible toner.

The phone prints, but the quality is off

When the connection works but the copies come out pale, streaky or with dull colours, the problem is no longer the phone: it's the consumable or the head. Before changing anything, identify exactly which cartridge your machine takes with how to know which toner your printer needs. And if you need to scan rather than print, you have the guide to how to scan documents with your printer.

When it's time to restock, a certified compatible cartridge yields the same as the original at a fraction of the price. You have laser toner for every brand and compatible ink cartridges, with three years' legal guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install an app to print from my phone?

Not always. On iPhone and iPad, AirPrint is built in and requires no app. On Android, the built-in Mopria service covers more than 9,000 models (Mopria Alliance, 2026); you only need the manufacturer's app if you want to scan, see ink levels or set up the printer for the first time.

Why can't my phone find the printer?

The most common cause is that the phone and the printer are on different Wi-Fi networks (the guest network, or separated 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands). Make sure both share the same network, restart the printer and move it closer to the router. In most cases that resolves it.

Can I print from my phone without Wi-Fi?

Yes. Enable Wi-Fi Direct on the printer so it creates its own network to connect the phone directly, with no router. Both Android and iPhone support it. Some portable printers support Bluetooth, and many Android phones print via a USB-OTG cable.

Does Google Cloud Print still work?

No. Google stopped supporting Google Cloud Print from 1 January 2021 (Google, 2021). Instead, use Android's built-in service (Mopria) or AirPrint on iPhone; neither requires any additional setup.

Does printing from the phone use more ink?

No. Consumption depends on the document and the quality settings, not on the device that sends the job. To save, print in draft or greyscale mode when you don't need photo quality.

Can I print from a tablet or a Chromebook?

Yes. Android tablets and iPads use the same system as phones (Mopria and AirPrint). Chromebooks print from the browser menu or from any app, detecting the printer on the local network.

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Sources

• Mopria Alliance — What is Mopria? — https://mopria.org/what-is-mopria
• Apple — About AirPrint — https://support.apple.com/en-us/102895
• Google — Migrate from Cloud Print — https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/9633006
• HP — Print, scan, and share from the HP Smart App — https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_6835589-7146871-16
• Brother — Install the Brother Mobile Connect application — https://support.brother.com/g/b/faqend.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=mfcj4335dw_us_eu&faqid=faq00100022_002
• Epson — Epson Smart Panel App (Support) — https://epson.com/Support/Printers/Mobile-and-Cloud-Solutions/Epson-Smart-Panel-App/s/SPT_SMARTPANELAPP

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Last updated: July 2026. Star Toner, Almacén Central, Calle Océano Atlántico 38, 11379 Los Barrios, Cádiz. CHICTRATEC S.L. (NIF B72834534), part of the Grupo Recycop founded in 1998.