How to Mirror Your iPhone Using Chromecast
Before 2020, it was a real hassle to mirror your iPhone to Chromecast. You had to go through multiple steps, like mirroring from your phone to a third-party app on your Mac or PC, and then mirroring your desktop using Chrome to your TV. It was a messy, confusing, and overall unpleasant experience. But luckily, this year has brought some great new options for mirroring directly, and one of the best choices is Replica.
Hey there! I’ve got some exciting news for you. Have you ever wanted to mirror your iPhone or iPad screen to your Chromecast? Well, look no further because Replica is the perfect app for you! It’s available for free on the App Store and let me tell you, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
Replica launched in January 2020 and quickly became the go-to app for screen mirroring. The best part? Even on the free version, you can enjoy audio while mirroring. That’s right, no need to pay for an upgrade like other apps. Plus, it’s super easy to set up, taking only a few simple steps.
So, here’s what you do: first, download Replica on your device. Once it’s installed, open the app and give it the necessary permissions to get started. Ready to cast? Replica will automatically scan your WiFi network for any Chromecast devices available. Just select your Chromecast from the list, hit the Start Mirroring button, and voila! Your iPhone will start streaming directly to your TV using its screen recording feature.
Whenever you want, you can pause streaming and go back to the main menu. There, you can tweak your settings to make your streaming experience even better. You have the option to adjust the quality, aspect ratio, volume, and screen orientation. Some of these awesome features are only available to you if you subscribe to Replica’s $1.99 per month plan. But if you’re someone who loves mirroring your device’s screen frequently, it’s definitely worth the small price. With this subscription, you’ll enjoy an enhanced performance that’s totally worth it!
Streaming Content with Cast-supported Apps
Streaming content directly from your phone is cool, but the ultimate way to do it is by using Cast-supported apps from the App Store. If you haven’t done so already, start by downloading the Google Home app from the iOS app store. You can use this app to set up your streaming device on your home network. The Google Home app will guide you through the process of setting up your new Chromecast device if you haven’t done it already. This makes it super easy to get started right away!
Hey there! Did you know that Google’s Home app can suggest cool stuff to watch from other Cast-enabled apps? It’s pretty amazing how many apps on iOS support this platform. It all started with Google, but now you can find Cast support on most of the popular streaming platforms for iOS. Let me give you a taste of what’s out there:
- Netflix
- YouTube
- Pandora
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+
- Vimeo
- HBO Max
- Spotify
- Hulu
- NFL Sunday Ticket
These are just some of the apps available. There’s actually a whole lot more content that you can stream to your Chromecast device. So if you have a Chromecast or any other device like newer Vizio televisions or Android TV boxes, you’re in for a treat!
When it comes to sending content from these apps, or any other Cast-supporting iOS apps found in the app store, it’s just as easy as using any other mirroring-type interface on iOS. First, make sure your Chromecast is awake and your television is turned on. Open the app you want to watch content from, like Netflix or Hulu.
If your Chromecast is set up and awake, you’ll see a Cast icon appear in the top-right corner of your iPad or iPhone screen. Simply tap this Cast icon and choose the Cast device you want to send your content to. Your Chromecast will then load the video or music directly onto your television, allowing you to freely use your phone or tablet for other things. This means you can enjoy your content the way you want to, without losing the ability to use your phone for messaging or socializing.
Mirroring iOS to Chromecast with Your PC
If you want to mirror your iOS device to Chromecast, there’s an easy way to do it without any special apps. Just follow these steps:
First, make sure you have a computer with macOS or Windows 10 that is connected to the same network as your iPhone or iPad and your Chromecast.
Now, let’s set up your computer to act as a server and establish a connection between your Chromecast and the Airplay protocol in iOS. There are a couple of great Airplay server applications that can help with this.
The first one is called Apowersoft’s ApowerMirror. It allows us to use Airplay to directly stream our phone or tablet’s screen to our Windows or Mac computer. The free version of ApowerMirror does have a watermark on the stream, but it’s still one of the best free mirroring apps available.
Mirroring Your Phone to Your PC
When you have installed the app on your computer, the next step is to go to the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. Just slide up from the bottom of your device’s screen and tap the Airplay icon. As long as you have ApowerMirror set up on your computer and it is currently active, you will see an option on your computer to start mirroring your phone to your PC. This means that your phone’s screen will show up on your computer’s display, allowing you to show photos or videos on your PC’s screen.
So, once you’ve set up your mirror and adjusted all the settings to your liking – quality, resolution, sound, and whatnot – it’s time to move on to the next step: projecting the image from your computer to your Chromecast.
Mirror Your PC to Your Chromecast
Now that we have your phone’s mirror working smoothly with either ApowerMirror or AirServer, we need to take it a step further and transfer that mirror from your PC to your Chromecast. Think of the Chromecast as the middleman between your iPhone or iPad and your TV. However, we still need to figure out how to get the image from your laptop or desktop to the actual television. Here’s how to do it:
First things first, make sure you have Chrome installed on your device if you haven’t done so already. You’re going to need it to use Google’s own Cast system that’s built right into Chrome. This way, you can mirror your laptop onto your TV. Once you have Chrome up and running, make sure that your iPhone or iPad mirror is active in the background on the Airplay server app of your choice.
Next, tap on the triple-dotted menu icon in the top-right corner of your device and look for the “Cast…” option in the menu. When you tap on it, you’ll see a menu displaying all the Google Cast-enabled platforms that are available in your area – Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, Google Home, and any other Cast-supported platform. Locate your Chromecast device that’s plugged into your TV and select it.
So, here’s the deal. When you get to the next screen, Cast is going to ask you a question: do you want to show everything on your computer screen or just the tab you have open? You click on “Cast Desktop” and boom! Your whole computer screen, including your iPhone screen, magically appears on your TV. And get this – no wires involved! Pretty cool, right?
Now, you can go ahead and use your iPhone like you normally would. But, I have to give you a heads up. Since this is a bit of a workaround, there might be a slight delay in some apps or actions. But hey, if you don’t want to use an app like Replica, it still gets the job done!
It took a while, but now you don’t need an Apple TV with AirPlay support to mirror your iPhone screen. Even though Replica isn’t perfect, we’re just glad to see that iOS can finally mirror to Chromecast displays, even if it’s through a third-party app.
Got any other tricks for mirroring your iPhone to your TV? Share them in the comments!