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Screen mirroring with Chromecast

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Update: with Chromecast app update to 1.9.6, Android screen casting (screen mirroring) is available in ALL Android devices with Android KitKat 4.4.2 or later versions. 

Table of Contents hide
1) Screen mirroring with Chromecast Arrives: cast your Android screen without relying on apps
2) Why screen mirroring with Chromecast is an exciting feature?
3) What Android devices can use screen mirroring with Chromecast now?
4) How to use screen mirroring with Chromecast?
5) Will screen mirroring with Chromecast replace Miracast (wireless display)?
6) This screen mirroring with Chromecast is confusing for Samsung users

Screen mirroring with Chromecast Arrives: cast your Android screen without relying on apps

As announced in Google I/O 2014, Chromecast would get some nice update and new features. We will discuss these new features in later posts once they are available;e publicly

One of the most exciting new features of Chromecast is screen mirroring (or screencasting) for Android devices.  You can mirror whatever on your  Android devices to a TV without using any apps (of course, for non-Nexus devices, you need the Chromecast app) including audio.

Now, with the Chromecast app update (to 1.7.4), screen mirroring with Chromecast is now fully working on some selected (models) Android devices.

Please note, screen mirroring is different from the wireless display that has been introduced to Android since Jelly Bean 4.2. Wireless display in Android is using Miracast technology. To use this feature, you need a receiver (usually a TV) that supports Miracast.  Currently, only some high-end smart TVs support Miracast. Otherwise, you need to get a Miracast dongle/adapter (for example, Netgear Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter). For the differences between Chromecast and Miracast technology, please read this post: Chromecast VS Miracast: everything you need to know about Chromecast, wireless display and screen mirroring.

Why screen mirroring with Chromecast is an exciting feature?

The major drawbacks of wireless display with Android devices  include:

  • The mediocre performance of casting from some Android devices.  Sometimes, the lag is unacceptable. Synchronization of audio and video is another major problem on some Android devices when using the wireless display. Please note, the wireless display is usually only enabled in some high-end Android devices.  Most Android vendors disable this feature in low-end devices partially due to performance issues.
  • The receiver also matters! Some TVs (with Miracast support) work quite well with wireless display; while some don’t although they are also Miracast certified.  Some Miracast dongles/adapters work well; some don’t.

Apparently, screen mirroring with Chromecast addressed these two issues very well.

The performance of screen mirroring with Chromecast is surprisingly good.  I didn’t experience any issues in watching videos, streaming music, playing games during my 3-day testing with Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3 and Nexus 4. It is as stable and reliable as many formal features. I don’t know why Google still consider this as a beta feature.

The screen mirroring with Chromecast is an exciting new feature for most Chromecast owners for the following reasons:

  • It does not rely on individual app developers. You don’t have to wait for the app developer to add Chromecast support.
  • It works with all TVs with an HDMI port.
  • It is not limited to the media. The TV simply is your second screen.
  • It is deadly simple to use (at least as simple as wireless display).
  • It is free. It is just added value for your $35.
  • The performance may be far better than your expectation of a $35 device.

What Android devices can use screen mirroring with Chromecast now?

Screen mirroring with Chromecast  (or screencasting as the official term) requires Android Kitkat 4.4.2 or higher  and is currently supported on the following devices ONLY:

Update on December 11, 2014: with Chromecast app update to 1.9.6, Android screen casting (screen mirroring) is available in ALL Android devices with Android KitKat 4.4.2 or later versions. Please refer to this post on the details.

  • Nexus 4
  • Nexus 5
  • Nexus 7 (2013)
  • Nexus 10
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 (including Google Play edition)
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 (including Galaxy S5 Active)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1  2014 Edition (with KitKat update)
  • HTC One M7 (not M8, I don’t know the reason.) (including HTC One M7 Google Play edition)
  • LG G Pro 2
  • LG G2
  • LG G3
  • Sony Xperia Z3 (added on Oct.1, 2014)
  • Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (added on Oct.1, 2014)
  • Tesco hudl2 (added in October 2014)
  • TrekStor SurfTab xintron i 7.0  (added in October 2014)
  • Sony Xperia Z3v  (added in November 2014)
  • Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact  (added in November 2014)
  • Sony Xperia Z2  (added in November 2014)
  • Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet  (added in November 2014)
  • Nexus 9  (added in November 2014)
  • Nexus 6 (added in November 2014)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (added in November 2014)
  • LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play edition (added in December 2014)
  • NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet (added in December 2014)

How to use screen mirroring with Chromecast?

For Nexus or Google Play edition devices, you can go to Settings-Display–cast screen to enable it.  You can also access it from the Quick Settings–Cast screen.

For other devices, you need to install (very likely, you already installed it) the Chromecast app and make sure it is updated to 1.7.4 or later versions.

Once opening the Chromecast app, you will be greeted by the message “Cast Screen now available”. Once you dismiss this message, you should find the cast screen in the menu as shown below.

Tap the cast screen button to find and connect to the Chromecast.  Once the screen is mirrored, you can close this app. You can now run any apps and everything will be displayed on the TV. Audio will also be transferred to TV.

To stop screen mirroring (screencasting),  in the notification area, tap “Disconnect”.

Screen_mirroring_with_chromecast_cast_screen_chromecast_appScreen_mirroring_with_chromecast_cast_screen_casting

 

Screen_mirroring_with_chromecast_cast_screen_casting_nowScreen_mirroring_with_chromecast_cast_screen_notification_stop_casting

 

If you cannot find the cast screen option in the Chromecast app, very likely, you are using an older version of the Chromecast app, or your device is not among the supported devices yet.

Will screen mirroring with Chromecast replace Miracast (wireless display)?

Currently, screen mirroring (screencasting) with Chromecast is still a beta feature on limited devices (see the list above).

Eventually, this feature will be available for more and devices with KitKat 4.4.2 or later. But Google didn’t give a time frame yet.

So,  if you need a screen mirroring feature, but you don’t have a supported device,  you probably have to use a wireless display if your device supports it.

Based on my personal,  informal and non-scientific test, screen mirroring with Chromecast works better than the wireless display on Android.  This feature definitely has a very bright future.

But I don’t think Google will drop wireless display (Miracast) in Android because more and more smart TVs will have better Miracast support.

Chromecast is excellent, but not everything.

Android is not everything.

This screen mirroring  with Chromecast is confusing for Samsung users

The official name of the screen mirroring with Chromecast is “cast screen” or screen casting.

But I often call it screen mirroring, and it is hard for me to change. This may cause confusion among Samsung users because Samsung used screen mirroring for their  Allshare casting, which essentially is an improved implementation of Miracast. Based on my experience, Samsung did the best job on implementing Miracast on Android. Their implementation was even earlier than that in  Android Jelly Bean 4.2, and works better than other Android vendors’ device.

Anyway, now in some Samsung devices, you have another way to mirror your screen with Chromecast.

Do you have any questions about screen mirroring with Chromecast (or Chromecast screencasting)?

Please let us know your questions or problems about screen mirroring with Chromecast in the comment box below.

Discussion on screen mirroring (screencasting) with Chromecast is also welcomed.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ethan says

    Do you still need a working and active WiFi connection to display the screen image to a TV using Chromecast?

    Reply

  2. David says

    I tested mirroring on my two devices, both running CM11 : Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Tab 2. Here my feedback. Without modify and with chromecast app, no way to mirroring because the option cast screen is not available. After installed the app MirrorEnable of a xda member, which enable to mirroring on all devices non official supported, I can select the option cast screen to test mirroring on my devices. No luck again, mirroring didn’t work at all on my devices. When I launch cast screen on my device, the process start, the chromecast detect the process but on my device the Google services crash and interrupt the process. Mirroring didn’t start. The screen casting didn’t work even a few seconds. The others functions of chromecast work. Now, I am disgusted, because I bought chromecast to watch youtube on my TV and not the famous mirroring, even if my two devices running Android 4.4.4 (CM11).

    Reply

  3. badmongo88 says

    Will this work with samsung galaxy tab 3 10.1 ?
    Or will it never, bought a netgear push2tv and that didnt work.so will this or should I just buyba diffrent tablet ?

    Reply

  4. Sam says

    Am using Samsung galaxy S5. I can mirror my mobile screen through chromecast. But i cant hear any sound while playing videos. Is there any solution

    Reply

  6. kavian says

    Ok just to be clear. I’m using a note 3. If I get chromecast, will chromecast need to be connected to wifi router in order to just screen cast or mirror the screen? I’m a teacher, and wanted to use chromecast to go over lessons and powerpoints, nothing with the internet. Thanks.

    Reply

  10. Britt says

    All I want to do is mirror my Samsung galaxy s5 to my tv using chromecast ,I dont have a wifi connection at my home. But since I just want to play my Netflix through my phone with my phone 4g and watch Netflix on my phone like normal , why won’t it still work if I’m just mirroring the image to my tv? Why would I need Internet wifi still if Netflix plays through my phone fine through my cellphone data?

    Reply

  13. Philip says

    I have a galaxy note 3 and was able to mirror my screen on my tv one night and then the next night the chromecast mirror symbol did not appear anymore. What happened?

    Reply

  14. Luis says

    A bit of a novice – have a Samsung 10.1 2014, downloaded the app (v 1.7.4) installed it – started the app – options are available except (as per screenshot above) except for the ‘Cast Screen’ option , under devices it shows my Chromecast device with a ‘Ready to cast’ text in blue underneath. What am I missing? Why is no ‘Cast Screen’ option even though it’s meant to be supported by my device? – Thanks Luis

    Reply

  15. siva says

    I have the same problem as mentioned above. I have samsung GT p6200 and have installed CM11 4.4.4. But the minute i click on screen cast from chromecast app, i get a message, unfortunately google play services stopped working and then it never mirrors to the tv. Any ideas how i can over come this?

    Reply

  16. siva says

    Thank you for your immediate reply, but then does it mean that with a rooted tab its not possible to cast? Also google has not given any upgrades for GTP6200 after 4.1.2 i guess and this functionality requires 4.4.2 and above if I am right? So do you think its worthwhile for me to downgrade and unroot the tab and try again? or is it that I have go for a new tab/phone? Also if its a software issue with regards to that error msg, is there any solution anyone has, regarding the google play services?

    Reply

  18. kaisa says

    there is exception when i try to cast the screen.

    E AndroidRuntime: Process: com.google.android.gms, PID: 4078
    E AndroidRuntime: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: Couldn’t load jgcastservice from loader dalvik.system.PathClassLoader[DexPathList[[zip file “/system/framework/com.android.location.provider.jar”, zip file “/system/framework/com.android.media.remotedisplay.jar”, zip file “/system/priv-app/GmsCore.apk”, zip file “/data/data/com.google.android.gms/files/secondary-dexes/GmsCore.apk.classes2.zip”],nativeLibraryDirectories=[/vendor/lib, /system/lib, /system/lib/arm]]]: findLibrary returned null
    E AndroidRuntime: at java.lang.Runtime.loadLibrary(Runtime.java:358)
    E AndroidRuntime: at java.lang.System.loadLibrary(System.java:526)
    E AndroidRuntime: at com.google.android.gms.cast_mirroring.JGCastService.(SourceFile:30)

    Reply

  19. kaisa says

    Do any devices which have been updated to 4.4.2 or higher support “Screen mirroring with Chromecast ” feature automatically ?

    Why there is a support devices list?

    Reply

  22. tim says

    I have a Samsung s5 active.im trying to mirror onto my tv.chromecast is working but no mirroring.is s5 active capable?

    Reply

  24. Bruce says

    Is there any expected time when screen casting will be available for the Galaxy S3 running the latest version of KitKat?

    Reply

  25. Bouncer says

    So mirroring fixed the audio/video lag when casting video? No one told my Nexus, which always has audio nearly a second later than video. Is this the best they can do??

    Reply

  26. Amit says

    Is screen mirroring going to be available for I pad users ?How do we use this facility with our I phone 5 & IPAD 4. Is there a way to do mirroring with I pad?

    Reply

  27. Gauruv Grover says

    My moto x has a cast screen option in display settings like the nexus phones, how come is it not supported for chromecast mirroring

    Reply

  28. Yuvaraj says

    Its NOT working on my nexus 7 (asus) – android verion is 4.4..4
    Build number KTU84P
    Chromecast app latest

    Screen cast option is not available.
    Display – cast screen – No devices found.

    Please help!

    Reply

  29. Mike says

    Hey, I have a Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 with the 4.4.2 software. Any updates on if that will also work with the chromecast screen sharing. It is new so I haven’t been able to find much info on screen sharing. I want to wirelessly connect to HDMI projectors for presentations

    Reply

  32. piyush says

    When I cast any content (specifically movie which stored in my mobile) to TV thru chrome cast, some time delay is their. movie in mobile runs ahead than tv. can u clarify why it happens.

    Reply

  34. Brandon says

    Bit confused. I have a Samsung Note 10.1 2014 Edition and chromecast works fine with netfix, youtube, watchespn. However my primary need it to mirror from the chrome browser in order to do client presentations with info from web sites. I seem to have the latest updates. It worked when I first set it up but hasn’t since. I have two devices in two different conference rooms and neither work. Do I need to get the miramax device?

    Reply

  36. Gagan says

    I have a MOTO E and Nexus 7 (2012). How can I connect any/both of these two devices to any/both of my two Televisions – 1. Samsung Series-4 42″ Plasma TV (bought in 2009) 2. Samsung MHL Enabled Smartphone Ready FULL HD TV 32″ (bought in 2013). I have a DSL modem-router and internet connection at my place. If I cannot use Chromecast, is there any other possible way.

    Reply

  37. Nicholas says

    My Samsung note 10.1 2014 (p605) 4.4.2. Chromecast app 1.7.4 have screen casting but when click then about 20 second later frozen? Why?

    Need help please me

    Reply

  39. George says

    Video on TV is freezing from pc only. I have a pc, laptop, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. All will chromecast to either of 2 TV’s equipped. Suddenly, my pc only has a problem. When casting from a chrome tab only (mirroring any video site), the video will play a few seconds and freeze on TV while audio continues on TV and video continues on pc. It does the same to either chromecast equipped TV. Yet, if I play a ‘Google Cast Ready’ site like HBOgo or Youtube, video continues to stream fine.

    The laptop, Nexus 5 & 7 continue to cast fine including mirroring video sites to either TV on same network. The pc is a Windows 8.1, fast processor and 16Gb RAM using a wired fast internet connection. It worked great for a month. Suddenly video freezes only while mirroring from Chrome Tab on pc only. The chrome browser uses the same extensions in both pc and laptop (so its unlikely an extension interfering). I attempted to use the new Google Cast ‘Beta’ extension just released per suggestion but it did not help. I disabled virus protection, no help. Much of software on pc is also on laptop. The fact that video runs up to 10 seconds suggests its not software blocking it.

    Reply

  40. Prabhdeep Singh says

    Hello,

    I have Moto E and this device is having that feature but i have checked with high end smart tv from Samsung but its not working. Then today when i have cheked on youtube i found that i have to uninstall play store and after that it work. But my concern is that is there any other way to do so?

    Reply

  43. Eric says

    I’ve read the screencast quality is quite good but I got stutters while playing videos. I do have an old router that supports 802.11 g, not n. Would that be the issue? When I do app casting via youtube, it was good thou.

    Reply

  45. chris says

    I have a android 10.1 tablet supports 4.2 jellybean. Can’t see the cast screen on chrome cast. Works fine on my s4. Which is 4.4. Do I need to upgrade my tablet.

    Reply

  46. Debbie says

    we have chromecast on our TV and my husband and I both have galaxy S4 phones. He was able to cast without a problem, then I tried with my phone. I was able to cast, BUT now he can NOT !!! I even uninstalled the app and restarted my phone, but he can’t cast at all. He is NOT happy 🙁 any help would be appreciated

    Reply

  47. Shankar says

    I Have Sony Bravia wifi tv and fitted Google chromecast dongle to tv. Got wifi at home. Sometimes chromecast is not detected even fitted properly in hdmi2

    Reply

  48. Billy Jacobs says

    Was trying to mirror my screen to watch a movie that was playing perfectly on my laptop. However, the movie was so jerky that it was impossible to watch. Any ideas?

    Reply

  49. Anth says

    I am using a nexus 7 (2013) and trying to mirror screen UK tv content whilst in France. I am able to view the content on my tablet using a VPN but am unable to mirror the content to the TV screen. I have tried to view content via the chrome browser but no casting symbol appears in the top right as Google suggests and the chrome cast extension they advise you to install doesn’t exist?

    I had hoped this would provide a solution to viewing tv content on a large screen but sp far very disappointed. Any suggestions welcome.

    Reply

  50. preben says

    Anyone know why I have problems with Cast Screen on HTC One M7 ? For months it said google play services stopped and now it simply disconnects. I have never gotten it to work with screencast even though it otherwise works fine.

    Reply

  52. mike says

    I have been using the cast screen feature from lg g3 for about 2 months now to watch random series stored on my device. As of 3 days ago it keeps droping audio atleast twice if not 4 times for something about 40 minutes long. I would rather not have to constantly disconnect and reconnect to chromecast while watching something.

    Reply

  53. Tammie says

    Hello
    I was wondering if I buy a Chromecast, can I look at websites from my note 3, using the chrome browser on my phone and display what I’m seeing on the web on to my tv using this Chromecast?, or does it only display videos photos etc that I view from my note 3?

    Reply

  54. Fred says

    My Galaxy S5 connects with no problem, but I get a screen the size of my phone on TV screen and I can’t find an option to make it full size.
    Thanks for any suggestions

    Reply

  55. matt says

    My S5 will cast apps such as you tube but when I try screen mirroring it mirrors for a second and then disconnects. I have tried estate both devices.

    Reply

  57. salameh says

    Hi. I’m just setup my new Chromecast. Everything seems ok, On TV I see the network name and the device name and ready to cast on top. YouTube app on my Samsung S4 casting correctly and I can watch on my TV.

    Chromecast App shows the device name and it is ready to cast, when I click on the icon cast screen, it says “No Cast devices found.”!

    Can you help me.

    Reply

  58. Fabian Vargas says

    I posted a while ago, my Note 10.1 2014 even though is a supported device did not work with Android 4.4.2. Today it was updated to 4.4.4 and it still doesn’t work, the option to cast screen doesn’t appear. It works on my LG G3

    Reply

  60. Rob says

    Thanks for you patient replies. I have a Nexus 4 with kitkat so I should be able to mirror (by the way does this depend on the Chromecat model) at all)? I thought I read my Tab 3 Tmobile T217T being a 4G LTE model may be in a unique category, meaning it may be excluded from ever mirroring or even chromecasting through an app. Any info on this tab 3 being uniquely excluded, when/if tab 3s are approved?.Rob

    Reply

  61. sean says

    Why did chromecast come out with this and not support 4.3 jelly bean I have sony xperia z and am capable of screen mirror just not to this devise that is advertised to cast screen? When will this be updated to support 4.3 jelly bean so I can use what I paid for?

    Reply

  63. TomC says

    I’m US based and screen mirroring works perfectly on my HTC One M8. But when I use a proxy server to access UK content, the mirroring immediately stops. It’s like the Chromecast only works with a US Internet connection. Do you think it would help if I purchased a UK Chromecast?

    Reply

  64. Niles Aronson says

    I am using a Sony Xperia Z3 from Tmobile. The apps I use for ChromeCast usually have no problem playing both video and audio, but when I go to use the built in ChromeCast app I can not play a movie more than five minutes before the audio drops out. This has happened on every movie format, and it becomes a real nuisance when you are trying to watch a movie. Is there a fix for this?

    Reply

  65. Davi says

    So I have read all comments and this came up in the first questions.. Using the screen mirror feature and the no wi-fi feature combined. I do not have a wi-fi connection and have an Lg G3 with unlimited data so it would be great to be able to stream videos and just mirror my screen. I read on a couple of articles that there is a beta feature where the chromecast can authorize devices either through a pin or just automatically. Do you think its possible now that several months have gone by? And if not could there be a way to do it using my LG G3 as a mobile hotspot?

    Thanks! Looking forward for your repply

    Reply

  67. marsworldd says

    I have a samsung galaxy s4 and I just recently found the cast screen option in the chrome cast app. I tried it and I thought the quality was really good. But, just today someone mentioned to me that the casting screen option is not as good of a refresh rate as using a casting app (like allcast, etc.) as opposed to screen mirroring? They said it was only about 66% the quality as opposed to using a casting app. Is that true? Or is the screen casting really just based on your router? I am curious – I have tried the samsung mirroring (built into the phone os) and it was horrible quality – but the chrome cast screen looked to be of much better quality to me.?

    Reply

  68. Sai says

    I have Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9505 (Android 4.3), when I install Chromecast app from Google play don’t see “Cast screen” option but rest of the options are working fine.

    Please help

    Reply

  69. vishnu says

    When casting my Android device (ASUS Zenphone 5), Is there an option to maximize the window so that the output fits entire TV rather than just appearing like a mobile screen on the tv…?

    Reply

  74. RICHARD EVANS says

    I find that casting from an Android device ( Samsung Tab 3) to be a marginal experience. Watch TCM, for example) doesn’t function at all from my tablet, but works fine casting from my desktop PC. Fortunately, the TV is not far away from the desktop!

    Reply

  75. Robert Flowera says

    How do i get my chromecast to work at a hotel when i try and put in the hotel’s password it say must be a 5 letter password and the hotel password is 4 letters

    Reply

  76. rachael says

    Help!!
    I have a Samsung E tablet android 4.4.4 why won’t it cast to chromecast I have downloaded the app it let’s me access YouTube via chromecast but currently won’t let me cast my tablet to it to do anything else? I have tried friends phone and it casts and plays straight away. Am I missing something?

    Reply

  78. Nilamani Pathak says

    I have a android TV which i used to connect with HTC phone, but now a days I get error of audio delay while playing Videos.
    Please if anybody can help to resolve this issue

    Reply

  79. pradeep joshi says

    I am able to cast through you tube and music app but not able to mirror screen my phone.

    Initially when i installed the app and setup chromecast on tv, mirror screening was working but the next day couldn’t mirror screen my phone on tv.

    Whenever i tap on cast screen/audio button, it shows connecting and at the same time disconnecting.

    Please suggest

    Reply

  80. t says

    I am hoping to find a portable projector to cast (mirror whatever on screen) from moto x4 android and pc win 10. I think the X4 will do chrome cast but not miracast. Any recommendations on a projector?

    Reply

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