How Chromecast works

you have decided to follow my advice and buy Chromecast , a stick produced by Google to be connected to the HDMI port of the TV, which allows you to receive streaming content from the Internet and to screen mirroring from smartphones, tablets

After reading my guide on how to turn TV into Smart TV , you have decided to follow my advice and buy Chromecast , a stick produced by Google to be connected to the HDMI port of the TV, which allows you to receive streaming content from the Internet and to screen mirroring from smartphones, tablets and computers. Being at your first experience with this device, however, you would like my help again to get to know all its features and learn how to use it in the best way.

That's the way it is, am I right? Then let me tell you that today is your lucky day! With this guide, in fact, I will explain how Chromecast works by providing you with the necessary information to use it and send content to the TV from smartphones, tablets and computers. First of all, it will be my pleasure to show you the detailed procedure to connect the device to the TV and perform the first configuration. Subsequently, you will also find the instructions to transmit the contents of your interest from the main Chromecast compatible applications.

If you agree and can't wait to find out more, let's not waste any more time chatting and get to the action right away. Courage: make yourself comfortable, take all the time you see fit and dedicate yourself to reading the next paragraphs. Follow the directions I am about to give you carefully, try to put them into practice and I assure you that using Chromecast will really be a breeze. Having said that, all I have to do is wish you a good read and, above all, have fun!

How to set up Chromecast

Before getting to the heart of this tutorial and explaining how Chromecast works , you may find it useful to know the procedure for connecting the HDMI dongle produced by Google to your TV and the information necessary to carry out its first configuration.

First, take the Chromecast and insert it into the HDMI input of your TV, then take the USB cable supplied and insert one end into the appropriate Chromecast input and the other end into the USB input of the TV. Alternatively, you can also power the device by plugging it into an electrical outlet at home (the only option available if you are using a Chromecast Ultra with 4K support). To know more, you can read my guide on how to connect Chromecast .

Once this is done, download and launch the Google Home app for Android or iOS / iPadOS on your smartphone, which is the app needed to set up Chromecast. After starting the application in question, press the Start button , select your Google account and start the wizard to create a new home and add all the detected devices.

If, on the other hand, you have a Google Home smart speaker and you have already configured it, press the + button , at the top left, and choose the options Configure device and Configure new devices , to add Chromecast.

On the Choose a home screen , select your home , press the Next button , wait for your Chromecast to be recognized and tap the Next button , then make sure that the code shown on the TV screen is identical to the one displayed on your smartphone and press on the Yes and OK items .

Finally, put the check mark next to the item relating to the room in which Chromecast is located, tap the Next button , enter the name of the device (eg Chromecast or TV ) in the appropriate field, choose the Wi-Fi network to connect to the device and tap the Continue button to complete the configuration. For the detailed procedure, I leave you to my guide on how to install and configure Chromecast .

How Google Chromecast works

Once the first setup is complete, you are ready to find out how Google's Chromecast works . In this regard, you will be happy to know that you can use the device in question to transmit the contents of your interest on the TV both from smartphones and tablets and from computers. Also, if you have a Google Home device, you can also start a Chromecast cast using voice commands. Interesting, right?

How Chromecast works with Android

If your intention is to use Chromecast with Android , so that you can watch the content of your interest from the TV at home, all you have to do is connect your smartphone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network to which Chromecast is connected, start the app of your interest among the compatible ones (eg Netflix , Amazon Prime Video , Facebook ,etc.) and press the broadcast icon to connect the two devices.

To understand better, let's take a practical example using RaiPlay, the official Rai application as a reference: after starting the app in question and logging into your account, press on the cover image of the content of your interest, to start playing it, then tap on the transmission icon (the screen with the waves ) and, in the Cast to screen, click on the Chromecast option (or on the name you have associated with the device), to continue watching on the TV. For the detailed procedure, you can read my guide on netflix.com

In addition to broadcasting the content of your interest, you should know that you can also use Chromecast to cast the screen of your Android device.

By doing so, you will be able to view on your TV any content available on your smartphone or tablet (e.g. photos, videos, etc.) and any applications installed on it. To stop casting the screen, instead, start the Google Home app again, tap the Chromecast item , press the Stop mirroring button and you're done. app , tap the Chromecast item and, in the new screen displayed, press the Cast screen option twice consecutively.

How Chromecast works with iPhone

As for how Chromecast works with iPhone , you need to know that you can cast the contents of compatible applications to the TV but not the screen of your iPhone / iPad on the TV, at least not officially. I say this because there are third-party apps, such as Replica , which allows you to project the iPhone and iPad screen on the TV, via Chromecast, using the screen recording technique (which involves a small delay compared to AirPlay).

As I indicated in the lines dedicated to the use of Chromecast with Android, even on iPhone, after connecting the phone and Chromecast to the same Wi-Fi network, simply start the application of your interest among those compatible with the Google dongle. , press the broadcast icon and start playing the content you prefer.

For example, if you want to watch a movie on TIMvision, start the TIM video streaming service app and, on its main screen, tap on the broadcast icon located at the top. Now, select the Chromecast item , to connect your iPhone to the TV, press on the cover image of the content to watch and tap the Watch button to start playback. Simple, right?

For screen mirroring, instead, start Replica , allow the use of Bluetooth , select the Chromecast to use and press the Start and Start transmission buttons .

How Chromecast works with PC

If you're wondering how Chromecast works with PC , you need to know that all you need is Google Chrome . With the Broadcast function of the famous browser, in fact, you can transmit online content, your computer screen and even local video files.

To use Chromecast from PC, start Google Chrome for Windows, macOS or Linux, click on the three dots icon located at the top right and select the Cast option from the menu that appears. Now, click on the Sources item and choose one of the available options: Cast card to transmit a Google Chrome card; Cast Desktop to display your computer's desktop on your TV and Cast File to select a video or audio file available on your PC to cast with Chromecast.

Once this is done, select the name associated with your Chromecast and that's it. At any time, you can stop the transmission by clicking on the wireless transmission icon (the display with the Wi-Fi waves next to it) and pressing the square icon for Chromecast.

It will be useful to know that some video streaming services (eg Netflix , YouTube etc.) allow you to start the transmission of a content by clicking directly on the wireless transmission icon , without having to use the Cast function . Even in this case, however, it is necessary to use Google Chrome.

How Chromecast works with Google Home

s mentioned above, you can use Chromecast to play content on your TV via Google Home as well . The latter, in fact, allows you to start playing the contents of Netflix , Infinity , Google Play Film and YouTube (including YouTube Kids) using voice commands.

If you have already completed the Google Home configuration and connected Chromecast as I indicated in the initial lines of this guide, take your smartphone or tablet, start the Google Home app and press the Settings item .

In the new screen that appears, locate the Services section of the Google assistant , tap the TV and video option and press the Connect option relating to the service of your interest between Netflix , Infinity and YouTube Kids (it is not necessary to connect YouTube and Google Play Movies, as they are already associated with the Google account in use on Google Home).

Then click on the Connect account option and enter the credentials of the chosen account in the appropriate fields to complete the connection. At this point, you are ready to start playing the content of your interest using voice commands. To do this, simply say “ OK Google, play [content name] on Netflix ” or “ Hey Google, show me a funny video on YouTube “.

Finally, it will be useful to know that you can also use Google Home and Chromecast to turn your TV on and off via voice commands. In this case, however, the TV must be equipped with HDMI-CEC technology and with the CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) function activated. To find out more, you can check out my guide on how to connect Google Home to TV .

How Chromecast works with Netflix

If your intention is to use Chromecast with Netflix , you will be happy to know that you can cast your favorite content on your home TV from both smartphones and tablets as well as computers.

In the first case, start the Netflix app ( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) and, if you have not already done so, press the Login button to access your account, entering the data in the Email or phone number and Password fields .

Once this is done, press on the transmission icon , at the bottom right, and select the Chromecast item (or the name associated with the device) on the Connect to device screen , to establish the connection. At this point, locate the content you want to watch, start playing it and, automatically, it will be played on your TV. To stop casting, start the Netflix app again, tap on the broadcast icon and select the Disconnect option .

If, on the other hand, you prefer to proceed from a computer, start Google Chrome , connect to the official Netflix site , log in to your account, locate the content of your interest and start playing it. Press, then, on the transmission icon , at the bottom right, select Chromecast from the menu that appears.

How Chromecast works with YouTube

Would you like to know how Chromecast works with YouTube ? In this case, you will be happy to know that you can play the videos of your interest on the TV both using the YouTube application for smartphones and tablets and from a computer, by connecting to the famous Google video sharing platform using Chrome.

To proceed, take your smartphone or tablet and, first, make sure you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network that Chromecast is connected to. Then start the YouTube app for Android or iOS / iPadOS , tap on the transmission icon located at the top and select the Chromecast option from the menu that appears.

Wait, then, for the connection between your smartphone / tablet and Chromecast to be established (you will see the message Connected to [device name] ) and start playing the video you want to watch, by tapping on its preview image and selecting the Start option . By pressing, on the other hand, on the item Queued , you can add the video in question to the queue of videos to be displayed later.

From a computer, instead, start Google Chrome, connected to the main YouTube page, access the page containing the video to watch and press the Play on TV item (the transmission icon ) visible in the player's multimedia command bar.

Now, select Chromecast from the menu that appears, to establish the connection between the computer and the TV and, if you have not already done so, press the ▶ ︎ button to start playing the video in question and enjoy the viewing.

How Chromecast Built-in Works

Some TVs, such as Smart TVs from Philips, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba, have a built-in Chromecast . This means that to send audio and video streams to your TV from smartphones, tablets and computers, it is not necessary to purchase the “physical” version of Chromecast.

All you need to do is connect the TV with integrated Chromecast to the Internet (in this regard, my guide on how to connect the TV to Wi-Fi might be useful ) and then proceed with the configuration using the Google Home app for Android and iPhone / iPad .

Having said that, you will be happy to know that there is no difference in the operation between Chromecast and integrated Chromecast: the procedure for casting content to the TV and mirroring the screen of your Android device is identical to what I indicated in the previous paragraphs.