Cast from Android, with a system fallback

Try Chrome’s direct TV chooser

Use Google Chrome with a Google Cast TV or receiver on the same Wi-Fi. Select a local file in the player, wait for preparation and press Cast. Choosing the TV automatically opens this service’s hosted receiver. You do not install or register a TV app.

Google still lists Android in its Web Sender support documentation. A filename being accepted does not guarantee its codecs or the TV’s throughput. Keep Chrome visible and the phone awake while it prepares and transfers media. The browser requests a screen wake lock when available, but cannot guarantee uninterrupted background playback.

An empty Chrome chooser is a different problem

Chrome’s TV chooser can be empty while Android’s own Quick Settings Cast still finds the same TV. These are different discovery paths. An empty Chrome list does not, by itself, mean that the TV has lost Cast support or that Google removed casting from Android Chrome. There is no single confirmed setting that fixes every empty chooser.

SDK Ready means the API is available, not that a receiver has been discovered. Website local-network permission and Android’s app permissions are also separate. Settings → Connection checks can show the states Chrome exposes. The TV-not-found guide explains how to interpret those checks without treating every unknown permission as a denial.

Use Android’s built-in screen casting

1. Keep your file selected and open the gear-shaped Settings button.
2. Choose Use Android screen casting, then open the selected file’s local player.
3. Swipe down twice to open Quick Settings and choose Cast or Screen Cast. Follow the phone’s prompts to select your TV.
4. If offered, select a single app such as Chrome, or choose the entire screen.
5. Return to Chrome and press Play on this phone.

If the tile is missing, edit Quick Settings or search Android Settings for Cast. Pixel also documents Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Google Cast. Names and selector order can differ; follow the system’s casting instructions.

Control the player and TV connection separately

The local player offers play/pause, seek, captions and PDF page navigation where relevant. The website cannot identify the TV you selected, confirm that native mirroring is active, or stop Android’s system connection. Stop playback stops this player; end TV casting separately in Android’s Cast controls or notification.

Keep Chrome visible and the phone unlocked. Native mirroring shares the selected app or screen rather than handing a network video URL to the TV. Android documents projection stopping when the device locks on recent releases. See its screen-projection lifecycle for the platform behavior.

Set realistic quality and audio expectations

Android manages the screen-casting encode. Original source quality therefore does not guarantee lossless, HDR or 4K output at the TV. Audio and sustained playback depend on the actual phone, TV and capture path. A working system chooser establishes discovery, not a completed playback or sound test.

Your media is prepared locally in either mode and is not uploaded to our cloud service. The page still needs internet access for its code and playback-policy verification. For missing sound, use the audio checks; for an unplayable file, check format support.