The Chromecast was the biggest surprise of Google’s recent Android event – a $35 HDMI dongle that plugs into a TV or projector, then streams Netflix, YouTube, Google Music and even Chrome windows. It seems like one of the easiest ways of turning your TV into a smart TV, and it’s also one of the cheapest.
Unfortunately, there’s a downside – so far, Chromecast is only available in the United States.
This week though, an enterprising developer called Sebastian Mauer provided a solution – an app called CheapCast that allows any Android device to act as a Chromecast. That means that any old Android smartphone or tablet you may have lying around can now find a purpose once again.
The app is still in early beta, but already the functionality is pretty impressive. All you need to do is install the CheapCast app and run it on your first device (which will actually play the media) and then select something to watch on YouTube or Google Music with your second device (which will act as the remote).
As the app mimics the official Chromecast protocol, you don’t need to install any special software on your second device – just open up YouTube or Google Music, choose the cast option at the top left, then select the name of your CheapCast device.
While having an old tablet as your CheapCast player and your phone as the remote works pretty well, it gets a lot better if you can actually hook up your CheapCast device to an HDTV or projector.
For example, you could:
- Use a micro HDMI to HDMI cable to connect a device with micro HDMI (like the Nexus 10)
- Use an MHL adapter for Samsung Galaxy devices that support that standard (e.g. S3, Note 2)
- Use an Analogix Slimport HDMI adapter for the Nexus 4
- Use a Samsung Galaxy Tab HDTV adapter
Basically, as long as you can get your phone or tablet’s screen onto a TV, you’re golden. Then when you use your other Android device as a remote, you’ll get that convenient SmartTV experience.
Of course, there are still some limitations to the CheapCast app at the moment. Streaming of Chrome tabs from computers isn’t yet supported, and neither is Google Movies or Netflix. However, these may be added by the developer in time, and it’s hard to complain about a free app.
So there you have it – a brief overview of the CheapCast app for Android, which lets you turn disused Android smartphones and tablets into useful Chromecast devices.
Any questions or comments? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading the article and have a good one!