Google has released its official Chromecast app for iOS today, allowing Apple mobile devices to officially control the HDMI accessory. The app allows for functionality such as managing Chromecast settings for changing the name, password, and settings of the device, as well as allowing setup of the Chromecast through an iOS device. The app also allows users to stream content from iOS apps, including YouTube and Netflix.

chromecast

Chromecast is the easiest way to enjoy online video and anything from the web on your TV. Plug it into any HDTV and control it with your existing smartphone, tablet, or laptop. No remotes required. Cast your favorites from YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies and Google Play Music and Chrome to your TV with the press of a button.

Originally announced and released in July, Chromecast allows for functionality similar to AirPlay and Apple TV, allowing users to mirror content from a tablet, smartphone, or computer. Following the launch of Chromecast, Apple lowered the price of its refurbished Apple TVs to $74, offering a $24 discount off of its intended $99 price. Additionally, a comparison chart between Chromecast, Apple TV, and media device Roku surfaced to examine the differences between all devices.

Google’s Chromecast app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

superwoman Avatar
161 months ago

...Chromecast allows for functionality similar to AirPlay and Apple TV, allowing users to mirror content from a tablet, smartphone, or computer.

This statement is false. That's not how Chromecast works at all.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Phazer Avatar
161 months ago
Just in time!

Google blocks Chromecast app that let you stream your own videos (http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/25/4657202/google-blocks-chromecast-app-that-let-you-stream-own-videos)

Not read the update at the bottom of the article, huh?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
musika Avatar
161 months ago
Just in time!

Google blocks Chromecast app that let you stream your own videos (http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/25/4657202/google-blocks-chromecast-app-that-let-you-stream-own-videos)

EDIT: I just read the update at the bottom of the article, and it doesn't seem that Google is interested in limiting the types of content you can use with the Chromecast.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Phazer Avatar
161 months ago
I read the update--And the fact remains Google intentionally blocked the local content workaround at the moment.

"Intentionally blocked" is a pretty different thing from "was indifferent about breaking something acting against the terms of what is clearly marked as an unfinished SDK."

Anyway, this app - surely this is irrelevant to actually casting to a Chromecast? The app wouldn't be able to affect what YouTube or Netflix did inside their apps.

It's just the settings app, yeah?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Exotic-Car Man Avatar
161 months ago
For those unsure how Chromecast works. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=TK4u6wm-HIk&hd=1)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benpatient Avatar
161 months ago
I read the update--And the fact remains Google intentionally blocked the local content workaround at the moment.


You don't seem to know what the words "fact" or "intentionally" mean.

If I released an unsupported iOS app that relied on an unlisted testing feature in OS X Mavericks that was removed or rewritten during the developer preview, you wouldn't be dogging Apple for anything, you'd be saying "well, what did they expect? it wasn't even an approved feature, and it wasn't made for that purpose!"

This is the same thing, only the developer reverse-engineered Google's proprietary code to enable the work-around. That's not a reliable solution for anything. It's possible that all they had to do to "break" his code is to recompile the source a slightly different way, or standardize the name on a couple of functions, or merge a couple of code libraries that were redundant.

We have no idea, but it is transitional, early code, and they said as much right from the start. Google isn't known for malicious coding. It isn't worth the investment of developer time, and it isn't worth the potential backlash. This is a company whose major products are all free.

----------

Chromecast isn't able to receive streamed data directly from any device, so AirPlay would be hard.

Chromecast is actually running a simplified version of Chrome OS, i.e. a Google Chrome browser on a chip that you give commands to.

For example, to play a YouTube clip, the app actually tells Chromecast to "Visit YouTube and play this clip at this address". No video is sent from your device! That's why it can do Netflix, YouTube, or mirror a Google Chrome tab (it simply visits the page for you), but why AirPlay would be hard and probably also suffer in quality since it'd need to stream AirPlay via some proxy website. It can show anything that Chrome can show easily, but everything else is hard or impossible. It'll probably never be able to mirror an iPad display.

Chromecast has unofficial PC desktop mirroring support, but I assume this one uses some proxy method, so that your desktop (grabbed by the local Google Chrome) is sent somewhere on the web, and Chromecast retrieves it from there. If this method doesn't support audio, that would explain why this experimental feature indeed doesn't mirror audio along with the screen.

Not quite right, there. When you cast a Chrome tab, it doesn't go and pull that content from the internet directly via the Chromecast. That wouldn't be possible on things like websites that require authentication. It is casting directly from your local device (laptop, for example), and sending that info (audio and video) to the Chromecast directly.

I can Cast my work email, which won't even let me log in to two browser sessions at once using two different browsers or two windows of the same browser. It's legitimately like "screen sharing", and there is experimental support for screen sharing, as well. That isn't going out to the internet and coming back to the chromecast. It's staying on the local network.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...