Ten Things You Didn’t Know You Can Do With Your Chromecast!

Your Chromecast is pretty handy. In fact, it’s so handy, it’s probably got a ton of functionality you’re not even familiar with. How is this possible? Well, that’s Google for you: they cram every bit of functionality you can imagine into their products. Without any more delay, let’s dive in: what are the top ten coolest things your Chromecast can do that you don’t know about? 

Remote Control 

Photo Credit: The Good Guys 

If your TV supports HDMI-CEC, you can use your phone to completely replace a TV remote! HDMI-CEC TVs can use a feature that allows them to match the input from their HDMI port. In short, with CEC online, when you start casting, your TV will automatically switch to it. No need to manually adjust the input! This one isn’t game-changing, but it’s a neat little quality of life feature! 

Google Slides 

Photo Credit: Gtricks 

Need to give an impromptu presentation? Google Slides is great for putting presentations together on the fly. Even better, if you don’t have a thumb drive or some other transfer device, or just need to give the presentation from your phone, you can Cast your slideshow.   

When you go to “Present,” just select “present on other screen.” Boom, like that, you’re a tech wizard and you’ve got a presentation on your big screen! 

Daydreaming 

Photo Credit: Amazon 

Using a virtual reality headset makes you look pretty silly to onlookers. Since the people in the room with you can’t tell what exactly you’re seeing, you tend to just look like you’re flailing around. If you want to share your VR experience with your friends, though, you can cast from your Daydream View. This way everyone can see the obstacles you’re dodging through your Chromecast. (This works for Gear VR, too!)  

Maybe this somewhat alleviates how silly you look with that VR headset on. 

Use Your Home Sound System for your Music 

Photo Credit: PCMag 

If you have an awesome sound bar and really wish you could play your music through it, you can! Just get the Google Play Music app and cast to your Chromecast. If you pay $10 per month for a Play Music subscription you can even play Google’s streaming radio and vast library of artists.  

LocalCast 

Photo Credit: Shutterstock 

Does your new smart TV have no audio out? This isn’t terribly uncommon. But what should you do when you want to watch something on your big screen but not disturb others in the house? Try LocalCast. LocalCast lets you send the image to your Chromecast but keep the audio on your smartphone.  

This lets you get the picture quality of your TV but not wake up any sleeping housemates! A really handy functionality of your Chromecast, staying courteous is always a good thing! 

CastPad 

Photo Credit: Google Play Store 

Available on Android devices, CastPad lets you draw in live time on your device and see it reflected on your TV through your Chromecast. The applications for this are pretty obvious at first glance, allowing for tons of fun with doodling. If you like Pictionary but don’t have any paper on hand, CastPad! If you want to have drawing contests with your friends, CastPad!  

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination! Go ahead and invite some friends over and have fun drawing! 

Watch Your Old DVDs 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia 

Well, sort of. This one is a bit of a workaround. Using the Disc to Digital service from Vudu, you can stream movies that you own the DVDs of. First you scan the UPC code on the DVD box, then you pay a small fee. It’s about $2 for a standard definition movie and $5 for an HD movie. Once you’ve paid, you can stream the movie to your Chromecast! 

This one is great for people interested in de-cluttering their living room. Scanning your DVDs and then having a garage sale can help minimize the amount of physical clutter, which is great for minimalists and digital enthusiasts! 

Link with Google Home 

Photo Credit: Google Store 

This one takes a little bit of setup. If you connect your smart device, Google Home Speaker and Chromecast all to the same wi-fi they can all sync up. Then you go through some quick settings menus and link all three of the devices to each other. Once you’re set up, you can use your Google Home voice commands to fire up things like Netflix.  

It might sound like a bit of overly-complicated setup to get going, but once it’s all together it’s super handy! It’s great whether you prefer voice command to remote controls for convenience or just like minimizing coffee table clutter. It also can impress the socks off your house guests when you tell your TV what you want to see, and it happens! 

Speaking of Guests… 

Photo Credit: Flipkart 

If you want your guests to have the option to use your Chromecast, but don’t want them to have to connect to your wi-fi, you might be a little flummoxed. Luckily, your Chromecast has a guest mode! While in guest mode, your Chromecast can receive casts from nearby devices without needing a wi-fi connection. 

Our Favorite Off-the-Wall Chromecast Use: Heads-Up Display 

Photo Credit: Google Play Store 

If you’re looking to get all the information about the world that you need at a glance, you can check out Dashboard Cast. This super-handy functionality turns your TV into a heads-up display with customizable widgets. Want to see the weather, an RSS feed and the stock market? You got it. Want a clock, a news feed, a calendar and a traffic report? You got it.  

This one is seriously awesome for its customization and functionality. You’ll feel like Captain Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise getting status reports on all critical systems. Not to mention just how awesome it is to have all the info you need right at hand when you glance at your display.