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Sending video or audio from your phone, tablet, or laptop to a TV over your Wi-Fi network.
Casting means telling a streaming device or smart TV to play a video or song, using your phone as the remote. Your phone doesn't send the picture itself — it hands the TV a link, and the TV streams the content directly over Wi-Fi. That's why you can lock your phone or use other apps while something keeps playing on the TV.
Casting streams the content and frees your phone; mirroring copies your whole screen in real time.
When you cast, the TV fetches and plays the content on its own, so your phone is just the remote and can do other things. When you mirror, the TV shows an exact copy of your phone or computer screen, so anything on your screen (including notifications) appears on the TV and your device has to keep working the whole time. Casting is smoother for video; mirroring is better for showing slides, photos, or an app that has no Cast button.
Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi, open a supported app, tap the Cast icon, and pick the Chromecast.
Make sure your phone and the Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi network. Open a casting-friendly app such as YouTube or Netflix, start (or find) a video, and tap the Cast icon — a small rectangle with a Wi-Fi symbol in one corner. Choose your Chromecast from the list, and the video jumps to the TV. Use your phone to play, pause, and adjust volume.
A small rectangle with curved Wi-Fi lines in the lower-left corner, usually near the top of a video app.
The Cast icon is a rectangle (a little screen) with three curved lines in its bottom-left corner, like a Wi-Fi signal. In most apps it sits along the top bar or on the video player. If you don't see it, the app may not support casting, your phone may be on a different network than the TV, or the app may need an update.
If your TV already says "Chromecast built-in," you can cast without buying a separate Chromecast.
A Chromecast is a small device that plugs into an HDMI port to add casting to any TV. "Chromecast built-in" means the TV (or another streaming device) already has that ability baked in, so you can cast straight to it with no extra hardware. Check your TV's settings or box for the "Chromecast built-in" label before buying a dongle.
AirPlay is Apple's system; Chromecast is Google's. Use whichever matches your phone and your TV's support.
AirPlay comes from Apple and works from iPhones, iPads, and Macs to Apple TV and AirPlay-compatible TVs. Chromecast comes from Google and works from Android, iPhone, and the Chrome browser to Chromecast devices and "Chromecast built-in" TVs. Many modern TVs support both. Pick the one your TV lists as supported — from an iPhone to an AirPlay TV, use AirPlay; from Android to a Chromecast, use Cast.
Yes — Roku supports app casting for YouTube and Netflix, plus AirPlay on most current models.
Roku devices let you cast from apps like YouTube and Netflix using the Cast icon, and most current Roku models also support Apple AirPlay for iPhones and Macs. Roku doesn't use Google Chromecast, so a generic "Cast to Chromecast" option won't find it — use the app's own cast feature or AirPlay instead. Make sure the Roku and your device share the same Wi-Fi.
Fire TV uses screen mirroring and app casting (YouTube, etc.); it isn't a Chromecast.
Amazon Fire TV supports screen mirroring from many Android phones and casting from certain apps, including YouTube. It is not a Chromecast device, so a plain "Cast to Chromecast" prompt won't detect it. For the smoothest result, open the app directly on the Fire TV, or use its mirroring feature from a compatible phone on the same network.
Most major streaming apps — YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime Video, Spotify — show a Cast icon when a device is nearby.
Casting is built into most big streaming and music apps, including YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime Video, and Spotify. When your phone and a cast target are on the same Wi-Fi, the Cast icon appears inside the app. If an app has no Cast icon at all, it may not support casting — in that case, screen mirroring is the fallback.
Yes — the Chrome browser can cast a tab or your whole desktop to a Chromecast.
In the Chrome browser, open the menu and choose "Cast," then pick your Chromecast. You can cast just the current tab (good for a single video or web page) or your entire desktop (good for anything else). For AirPlay, a Mac can mirror or extend its display to an Apple TV from the Control Center screen-mirroring menu.
Almost always a network issue: same Wi-Fi, restart both, and check for guest-network isolation.
First, confirm your phone and the TV or streamer are on the exact same Wi-Fi network (not a separate guest network or a different band that's isolated). Restart both the phone and the cast device, and make sure the streaming app is up to date. Many routers have a "client isolation" or "guest network" setting that blocks devices from seeing each other — turning that off for your main network usually fixes a device that won't appear.
Usually a weak Wi-Fi signal; move closer to the router or use the 5 GHz band.
Buffering and dropped casts almost always come down to Wi-Fi signal or congestion. Move the cast device closer to the router, or connect to the 5 GHz band if your network offers it, since it's faster over short distances. Too many devices on the network, microwave/Bluetooth interference, or an overloaded router can also cause stutter — restarting the router often helps.
Check the TV volume and input, and confirm the TV (not your phone) is the audio output.
When casting, the sound plays through the TV, so first make sure the TV isn't muted and is on the right HDMI input. Check that the app's volume slider on your phone is up. If you were mirroring instead of casting, some phones keep audio on the phone — switching to the app's Cast button (rather than screen mirroring) sends the sound to the TV.
The app may need an update, may not support casting, or your phone isn't on the TV's network.
If the Cast icon is gone, first confirm your phone is on the same Wi-Fi as the cast device — the icon only shows when a target is reachable. Update the app and your phone's software, since casting support ships in updates. If the icon never appears in that app, it may not support casting at all, and screen mirroring is the workaround.
Casting uses your local network to let the phone and TV discover and talk to each other.
Casting works over your home network: your phone finds the cast device, hands it the content link, and controls playback — all locally. If the two are on different networks (say, your phone on cellular or a guest Wi-Fi and the TV on the main Wi-Fi), they can't discover each other and the cast target won't appear. Put both on the same network and the same band grouping to fix it.
Often no — guest networks usually isolate devices so they can't see each other.
Most guest networks turn on "client isolation," which stops devices from communicating so a visitor's laptop can't reach your other gear. That same protection blocks casting, because your phone can't discover the TV. To cast, put both devices on your main network, or ask the network owner to disable isolation for a trusted network.
5 GHz is faster for HD video up close; 2.4 GHz reaches farther but is slower and more crowded.
For casting high-definition video, 5 GHz Wi-Fi is usually the better choice because it's faster over short distances. 2.4 GHz travels farther and through walls but is slower and shares airspace with many household gadgets, which can cause stutter. If your cast device and router are in the same room, prefer 5 GHz; if the signal is weak and far away, 2.4 GHz may connect more reliably.
A smart TV connects to the internet and runs streaming apps directly, without an extra box.
A smart TV has built-in internet and an app platform, so it can run Netflix, YouTube, and other services on its own — no separate streaming stick required. Many smart TVs also include casting or AirPlay support. A regular TV becomes "smart" the moment you add a streaming device like a Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV to an HDMI port.
Keep the TV's software and apps updated; very old TVs eventually lose app support.
Smart TV apps get updates that fix bugs and keep up with the streaming services, so let the TV install system and app updates (usually an automatic setting). Older smart TVs can eventually drop below an app's minimum requirements and lose support entirely — when that happens, adding an inexpensive streaming stick restores the newest apps without replacing the TV.
Many recent smart TVs include AirPlay 2; check the TV's brand and settings for the AirPlay logo.
A large share of recent smart TVs from major brands include Apple AirPlay 2, which lets you stream or mirror from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac without an Apple TV box. Look for AirPlay in the TV's settings or on the box. If it's there, cast from your Apple device using the AirPlay icon and pick the TV; if not, an Apple TV device or an AirPlay-capable streamer adds it.