While watching a YouTube video or a Netflix movie on your phone, you may want to switch to a bigger screen. It is easy to cast the screen from your Android phone to your smart TV using Chromecast. But what if you want to switch to your Chromebook? Well, there is no default option available. But with the help of third-party apps, you can cast YouTube videos to your Chromebook after you turn it into a Chromecast receiver. Here’s how you can do that.
Cast From Android Phone or Tablet to Chromebook
To cast to your Chromebook, it needs to act like a Chromecast receiver. Since this feature isn’t enabled in Chromebook, you’ll need to take help of an app. Here’s how you can make your Chromebook search for the Chromecast signals and connect to it.
1. Install the CastReceiver app on the Chromebook from the Google Play Store
2. Open the app and click on Try it. You need to open the app before you can cast. The Pro version of CastReceiver claims to make the app work in the background. However, that feature does not work on Chromebooks.
3. Make sure that your Android phone and Chromebook are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. To cast a video from Android to Chromebook, open any app that allows you to cast media like Netflix on your phone. Inside the app, tap on the cast icon to select a device to cast.
5. Open CastReceiver on your Chromebook and select your Chromebook name in the nearby Chromecast devices.
6. Tapping on it will start playing the video or movie that you are casting.
Mirror Your Android Phone or Tablet to a Chromebook
Instead of casting a movie or a photo, if you want to view your Android phone’s screen directly on the Chromebook, you’ll need to mirror it. Luckily, the CastReceiver app mentioned above lets you do that as well.
1. Install the CastReceiver app from the Play Store on your Chromebook and open it.
2. Make sure your Chromebook and Android phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On your Android phone, swipe down the quick settings panel at the top and tap on the Screen Share or Cast option.
4. On the pop-up menu, you will see the device name or model number of your Chromebook, tap on it.
5. It can take a couple of seconds, and then you can stream your phone screen onto a Chromebook.
There are no settings for you to configure apart from changing the Device name from the CastReceiver app on your Chromebook.
We tried AirDroid and a few other casting solutions, but the experience remained nearly the same. Also, we experienced a slight lag when sharing the screen.
Cast From Android to Chromebook
There aren’t many third-party apps that can turn the device into a Chromecast receiver. While the CastReceiver app works, it may act up at times. You may have to restart the app or reconnect to the same Wi-Fi for it to work. Also, it only plays the media directly on the CastReceiver app and you don’t get any playback controls. So, you’ll still need to use your Android phone to control the video playback.
While Android and ChromeOS are distinct operating systems, they also share a few similarities. Check out the integrated ecosystem features between Android and Chromebook.
