23 Things You Didn't Know Your Chromecast Could Do

Watching someone experience virtual reality is amusing...for a few minutes. When you can also see what the person wearing the goggles sees, though, it's better for everyone. With Google's $99 Daydream View headset and a Chromecast, you can send what's on the headset to a television.

Just make sure the phone you have in the Daydream and the Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi network and that you have the Google Home app (Android, iOS) installed. Open Google Home, select Cast, and then choose the Chromecast device to which you want to send the VR images. Put the phone into the headset and everyone can see what you're up to, virtually.

If you have a Gear VR, you can do the same thing. Make sure you have the latest version of the Oculus app and get your Gear going, hit the Cast button, and select the device on which you want to view your VR journey.

There's plenty of great content on Facebook Live that would benefit from being on the big screen (like, ahem, PCMag's 1 Cool Thing). To send a Facebook Live broadcast to a TV, make sure the device you're casting from and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. Then open a Facebook Live broadcast and hit the Cast icon that appears on the screen.

The Chromecast is a handy gadget for streaming Netflix, YouTube, and other content from mobile devices to your TV, but it requires a strong Wi-Fi connection to deliver streams that don't buffer. Not everyone has a super-fast Wi-Fi network, though, and for those people, Google has an Ethernet adapter for Chromecast.

The adapter looks like the existing Chromecast power cord, but the plug end now includes a small Ethernet port. Connect an Ethernet cable that's also connected to your modem to that port, plug the USB end of the adapter into the Chromecast, attach the Chromecast to the HDMI port on your TV, and you're ready to go. It's $15 in the Google Play store.

If you use Google Slides, you can show your presentation with Chromecast since Google Cast is built into Chrome. Click the "Present" option on the top-right of your presentation, select "Present on another screen," and pick your Chromecast device.

It's not a PlayStation 4, but the Chromecast can be used to play some fun family games. Get your groove on with Just Dance Now or serve up some nostalgia with Sonic Jump Fever. Download games to your Android or iOS device to use your phone or tablet as a controller, while the game runs on your TV.

Use your own photos—or choose from Google's selection of beautiful art, landscape photography, and satellite images—to switch up your Chromecast background. In the Google Home app, go to the Devices tab and select the Chromecast you want to customize. In the top-right corner, tap the hamburger menu () and select Backdrop Settings. There, you can pick a photo from Google Photos, Facebook albums, or Flickr, or opt to display news, weather, art, or satellite images.

Similarly, Chromecast can serve as a modern-day alternative to old-school slideshows; no projectors here. Google Photos has Chromecast support, so you can cast your pics from Google Photos on iOS, Android, and the PC to your TV. Look for the Cast icon on the top of the Google Photos icon and tap to connect.

To play music through your TV with Chromecast, download Google Play Music (Android or iOS). Open the app, select the cast icon, choose Chromecast from the device list, and select what you want to play. For more than your own music, join Google's subscription service for $9.99 a month or $14.99 for a family plan, which also includes free streaming radio and YouTube Red, where available.

If you want sound that your TV speakers can't provide, Google's $35 Chromecast Audio device hooks into your speakers and streams music from nearby devices via Wi-Fi.

If you're a Spotify Premium subscriber, you can cast tunes through your Chromecast. Make sure your device is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast. Open the Spotify app, play a track, select Devices Available, and then select your Chromecast. It should work with new and old Chromecasts. Pandora is also an option.

If you want to watch something on your TV but don't want the sound to disturb others in the room, then download LocalCast for Android. It lets you cast video to your television while keeping audio on your device. Tap "Route audio to phone" on the "Now playing" screen, and plug in some headphones. Note: the app description warns that it's in beta and might be buggy.

One of the chief complaints about the Chromecast is that it doesn't support local media playback, so you can't tap into content you have saved in the cloud. But with media management app Plex, you can stream music, movies, and photos via the Chromecast. Plex organizes your scattered content and lets you watch it from tablets, TVs, phones, and more. Sign up for the service, then download the Plex app, open it, and send your content to the Chromecast.

On Android, you can mirror your Android device to your television, meaning that you can cast whatever you see on your phone to the TV. It's currently available on several devices with Android 4.4.2 (KitKat MR1) and above; see the Chromecast support page for a full list.

The Google Home app (Android, iOS) helps you find popular content from Cast-enabled apps. Let's say you want to catch up on Start Trek: Voyager, for example, but are not sure where it's streaming. Open up the Home app, type the name of the movie or TV show you want to watch in the search box, and tap your desired content. The app will tell you which Chromecast-enabled apps are streaming that content, and give you the option to jump to that service or download an app that does.

Apps, meanwhile, are being added all the time. To find out what its latest tricks are, visit Google's Chromecast page.

If you really want to make your Chromecast feel at home, sync it up with your Google Home to control some TV content via voice. Open the Google Home app and make sure the device, Chromecast, and Google Home are all on the same Wi-Fi network. In the app, go to the menu, select More Settings, and then TVs and Speakers. Find the Chromecast you want to link and select the plus sign.

Now link the video or music apps you want to play to your Google Home device. Open the Google Home app again, select the Menu, then choose Videos and Photos, and select an app like Netflix that you would want to link. Select Link Account. Now you can say things like, "OK, Google, play Narcos from Netflix on Chromecast."

Your Chromecast can play DVDs. Well, sort of. If you have stacks and stacks of DVDs and nothing to play them on or just want the convenience that comes with streaming, then you can use Vudu to convert old media to new. Download the Vudu app (Android, iOS), sign in or sign up for an account, then go to the menu and select Disc to Digital, and scan the UPC code from the disc. Then you can watch your DVDs as a stream on the Vudu app on Chromecast. It will cost you $2 per title for standard definition and $5 per title for high definition.

The only annoying thing about watching YouTube videos on a Chromecast is that you have to pick up and put down your phone or tablet every time you want to watch another. Or do you? Open the YouTube app, tap the Cast button, select your Chromecast device, and choose a video to watch. Instead of selecting play, tap TV Queue. Find another video and do the same and repeat until you have a full playlist. Hit Play on the first video in the queue to start watching the playlist.

YouTube Kids lets junior watch age-appropriate videos from the Google-owned video site. The app restricts content on the app, even on search, and tech-savvy kids can now cast their favorite videos to the TV.

You can watch Netflix with ease on a Chromecast, but there's no easy way to stream Amazon Video since Amazon has its own streaming dongle. There is a workaround, though, as long as you keep a computer with the Chrome browser handy while you're watching on your TV.

Open the browser and navigate to Amazon Video and whatever you'd like to watch. Select the menu on the top right (). Select "Cast" and a pop-up window will ask you to select the device to which you'd like to Cast. The downside is that you'll have to go into the browser to control the video.

The quality is also not ideal. Google is testing a better experience, though. Go to chrome://flags/#media-remoting, enable the highlighted flag, then restart the Chrome browser, type in the URL of a video you'd like to play, select Cast in the Chrome menu, and make sure to expand it to full screen.

The Google Home app is not available in the Amazon Appstore, but that doesn't mean you can't cast from your Kindle Fire. On your Kindle Fire, go to Settings, scroll down to Allow Installation of Applications, and turn it on. Then on your Fire go to market.1mobile.com in a browser and download it. Now open a browser on your Fire and go to chromecast.com/setup. Select Get It On Google Play and when you are asked, choose to complete the action using 1Mobile. You'll be brought to the Chromecast page on 1Mobile Market; select Download. Once the app is installed, turn on your TV and follow the installation instructions on the Fire.

Whether you have houseguests for a week or party guests for an evening, you might want to let them decide what to watch without giving them access to your Wi-Fi. Turn your Chromecast to Guest Mode in the device settings, and anyone with a Google Cast Ready app that's open within about 25 feet of the Chromecast will be able to cast once the option shows up on their device. If this fails, the user can manually enter the four-digit PIN that will be displayed on the TV into the app's settings on their device.

On your next vacation, forget about having to watch the limited channels available on the hotel's TV. Using your Chromecast on the go isn't quite as simple as it is at home, but it's doable. Make sure to pack a portable wireless router, like the ZyXel MWR102 Travel Router and plug it into the Ethernet port in the wall. Then plug your Chromecast into the HDMI port on the TV and connect it and the device you're using to cast to it. (If you're at a Marriott, you might be able to get Netflix without the Chromecast, though.)

If spoilers never dissuade you, then you'll want to join the Chromecast Preview Program. This will get you the latest Chromecast features before they're released to the public. Google says the program is not beta but rather just a preview of stable features.

To sign up, open the Google Cast app on an Android or iOS device. Tap Devices, locate the one that you want to use for the program, and select it. Now select Device Settings, then Preview Program. Use the slider to select whether or not you want to receive email notifications of updates as they are pushed to your Chromecast device. When you're done, select Join Program, then review everything you've selected and tap OK, Got It.

You may not be successful in enrolling; should you not see Preview Program under settings, then Google isn't accepting members at the moment and you can try again later.

You've probably used your phone as a remote for your cable or Chromecast, but you might not know that you can use it to bypass the process of having to change the input to cast if your TV supports HDMI-CEC. Google the model of your TV and the trade name for HDMI-CEC that matches the brand:

Samsung - Anynet+
Sony - BRAVIA Link or BRAVIA Sync
Sharp - Aquos Link
Hitachi - HDMI-CEC
AOC - E-link
Pioneer - Kuro Link
Toshiba - Regza Link or CE-Link
Onkyo - RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI)
LG - SimpLink
Panasonic - VIERA Link or HDAVI Control or EZ-Sync
Philips - EasyLink
Mitsubishi - NetCommand for HDMI
Runco International – RuncoLink

If you have it, then use the TV remote and go to Settings and select the HDMI-CEC option and enable it. Now when you cast to your TV, you don't have to change the input. You can start casting to your Chromecast from another device and the Chromecast will send a signal to the TV, forcing the TV to switch to the Chromecast. The TV remote control will now also work to pause, play, rewind, and fast forward whatever you're watching on the Chromecast.