How to get the most out of your Chromecast with your iPhone and iPad.
If you're looking to buy a digital media player console for your TV, and you already own an iPhone and iPad, you might think you're stuck shelling out over $200 for an Apple TV. You also might question how a cheaper option such as Google's Chromecast could come close to delivering the same experience as Apple.
Well, there's no need to worry. If the Chromecast better fits into your budget, the good news is there are plenty of iOS apps that fully support the Chromecast. It will also work for cross-platform gaming or playlist collaboration with friends who own Android devices. Here are some of the best Chromecast-compatible iOS apps that you need to get.
Google Cast
YouTube
Netflix
Twitch
YouTube Gaming
TED
Pocket Casts
Tricky Titans
Spotify Music
Big Web Quiz
Plex
Just Dance Now
HBO Now
All Cast
Cast-A-Draw
Videostream
Google Cast
If you're brand new to the Chromecast experience, the Google Cast app is probably the first app you should download.
On top of helping you get your Chromecast through the initial setup for your device, it's also the main hub for discovering other apps that support Chromecast, as well as recommending content from apps already on your iPhone.
Basically, Google Cast is the best app for when you're just starting out with your Chromecast, but you'll probably outgrow it once you find the apps you love.
Free - Download from iTunes
YouTube
An essential Chromecast app if there ever was one, YouTube provides one of the smoothest experiences for casting content to your TV.
You can set up a playlist for hours of entertainment or collaborate with friends at a party so everyone gets a say for which videos get played. With the sheer amount of music videos hosted on YouTube, you could use your YouTube app to stream all the music you need for a party or find the perfect chill mix for a night in.
Free - Download from iTunes
Netflix
Another essential app, Chromecast lets you conveniently control Netflix from your iPhone.
It's a seamless experience, allowing you to start watching a TV show or movie on your iPhone – tap the Cast icon and it instantly starts playing on your Chromecast-connected TV.
Forget using your computer or gaming console for Netflix, once you start controlling things from your iPhone, you'll never turn back.
Free - Download from iTunes
Twitch
Stream your favorite Twitch broadcasts straight to your TV with the Twitch app for iOS and Chromecast.
Simply cast your Twitch broadcast to your Chromecast and you'll be able to enjoy your favorite gaming streaming with a two-screen experience. Watch the action on your TV, and use your iPhone to engage with other viewers and your favorite streamers in the chat.
Free - Download from iTunes
YouTube Gaming
If you or your kids are obsessed with YouTube gaming celebrities such as PewDiePie, JonTron, Markiplier, and gaming networks such as IGN and RoosterTeeth, then you'll want to check out the YouTube Gaming app.
It's a dedicated app for the abundant gaming content on YouTube, so it gets rid of all the other YouTube noise and gives you what you want. It will also pull any relevant subscriptions from your YouTube account, as well as recommend videos to you based on the games you love, which you can add to your collection in the app.
Streaming to the Chromecast is just as easy as using the YouTube app, so you can cast your favorite Let's Play videos to the TV and play along on your computer.
Free - Download from iTunes
TED
Need something to play in the background? Why not get smarter by listening to a TED Talk via the TED app for iOS?
You'll get access to over 1000 TED Talk videos, covering a range of topics, which you can easily browse through. And casting to your Chromecast is as easy as tapping the Chromecast button and selecting the video you want to watch. Get smarter (or at least feel smarter) with the TED app for iOS and your Chromecast.
Free - Download from iTunes
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts is one of the best podcasting apps available for the iPhone and iPad. If you're serious about your podcasts and want to have them playing through your TV while you're doing chores around the house, simply figure out which episodes you want to listen to and cast them to your Chromecast.
Pocket Casts is the only iOS podcasting app that we found to support Chromecast. Since Pocket Casts also supports video podcasts, pairing it with Chromecast lets you cast your video podcasts to your TV for ultimate convenience.
$3.99 - Download from iTunes
Tricky Titans
Tricky Titans is a game for up to five players that's played on your TV with each player controlling their Titan on their phone (iPhone or Android).
Each round, each player inputs one of three actions — Attack, Defend, or Power up. But pick carefully, because you also have to be wary of whatever actions your opponents are deciding on. Once everyone's action is locked in, everyone watches the TV as the chaos ensues. If you're attacked, your Titan's hill drops. The winner is the last Titan standing or the highest standing Titan at the end of the game.
Free, fun, and featuring cool artwork, Tricky Titans is worth checking out.
Free - Download from iTunes
Spotify Music
Control your music via your iPhone and stream it via your TV with the Spotify Music app for iOS and Chromecast. Spotify already provides one of the best mobile listening experiences for streaming music, and you'll get full access to your music library, playlists, and more on your iPhone while your music plays through your TV and/or home theatre sound system.
Free - Download from iTunes
Big Web Quiz
Chromecast isn't just for video and music — it's great for gaming and fun too! Big Web Quiz is a fast and fun quiz game featuring cross-platform compatibility, meaning whether your friends have an iPhone or some Android device, everyone is able to download the app and connect to the Chromecast.
Connect up to six devices per game. Everyone watches the screen for the question, then uses their phone to answer. It's a fun, colorful app filled with interesting and quirky trivia.
Free - Download from iTunes
Plex
Plex allows you to set up a wireless media server in your house for all of your TV shows, movies, music, and photos. The Plex app for iOS lets you control and cast all your media goodness straight to your Chromecast-connected TV.
But you'll need to have a Plex server set up before using the iOS app. Once you do, you'll be able to control all your media remotely from your iPhone and cast it to your Chromecast via the app.
Free - Download from iTunes
Just Dance Now
Just Dance is the most popular dance video game to come around since Dance Dance Revolution, and it's available for free for iOS via Chromecast.
It's got more or less the same functionality you'd find on the console, except instead of using a console controllers to track your movement, the game has you hold your iPhone in your right hand. How accurate could the tracking be if it's only tracking one hand, you ask? Well, you better dance your heart out — we gave it a spin and it seemed to work just fine.
Play against friends in your living room, or online against players from around the world. You get a couple songs for free, and while you can dance to collect some coins to buy new songs, it'll take you a long time. Frankly, you'd be better off spending the $5.99 to get a 30-day VIP pass from the in-game store.
Free with in-app purchase - Download from iTunes
HBO Now
If you love HBO Now, you'll love it even more when it's streaming to your TV via Chromecast.
That's right, enjoy your Game of Thrones, Last Week Tonight and Silicon Valley at your leisure by streaming it to your phone and then casting it to your TV. Geez, it's like who really needs cable anymore, am I right?
Free - Download from iTunes
AllCast
If you've just returned from vacation or got pictures and videos on your phone you want to show off, don't have everyone try and crowd around your small phone screen. Use AllCast.
AllCast lets you cast all the media on your phone to your TV via Chromecast. You'll also be able to stream content from your social media accounts such as Instagram and Google+, as well as cloud services such as Dropbox and Google Drive.
Free - Download from iTunes
Cast-A-Draw
This is a modern take on Pictionary that lets you and your friends use a phone as the drawing pad, with the drawings popping up on the TV for all to see. Everyone gets a fun photo so you know who to pass the phone to when it's their turn.
It's a simple game, as anyone who has played pictionary knows, with options to set the number of words per round, as well as the time length of each round. It works great and is good fun for parties.
Free - Download on iTunes
Videostream
Videostream is one of the best Chromecast apps for streaming content from your computer to your Chromecast-connected TV. The app for iPhone and iPad allows you to remotely control all your media from your phone.
Like Plex, this requires you to set things up between your computer and Chromecast as well, but unlike Plex, you don't need to set up any complicated media servers to get down to watching your favorite movies or TV shows. All you need is a computer — Mac or PC — with Chrome, install the Chromecast extension, then open a video file from your computer in the Videostream tab. Your video will play on your Chromecast-connected TV, and you'll be able to control playback via your phone. If you try out Videostream and love it, you can upgrade to Videostream Premium and enjoy the ability to create video playlists, then control everything from your phone as well.
Free - Download on iTunes
Any other favorites that we missed?
There are over 100 different iPhone and iPad apps that support Chromecast, and we had to make some tough choices for some that didn't make our list. Make your case for the ones we overlooked in the comments below!