Since its launch in March, Google’s Chromecast device has been widely received by media fans across the country. Costing just £30, the USB-drive shaped device connects your TV into a multi-faceted broadcasting device, giving you access to hours of entertainment streamed in great quality. But since its launch, Chromecast has continued to develop and evolve into a fully-fledged entertainment centre, offering a wide range of services through dedicated apps. Here is our selection of the must-have apps to let you get the most out of your Chromecast
CastStore
First off, you’re going to need to know where to find your new apps, a task made difficult by the fact that Google makes it tricky to find a full list of the hundred or so apps currently available. CastStore solves this issue by splitting up apps into various categories, such as Media & Video and Music & Audio to make them easier to find. Apps can be further filtered to just show free or paid-for versions, as if you’re a keen gamer, there is also a section dedicated to those games compatible with Chromecast.
Plex
Of course, with all that media content being broadcast around, you may need something to keep on track of just what is being stored. Plex is a smooth and sleek media management app which enables you to control media from all of your Android devices and stream to your TV.
Plex is also compatible with popular hosting sites such as Vimeo and YouTube, meaning you can queue videos to watch later on with any device, and supports a huge range of media formats.
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BBC iPlayer
The BBC’s channel hub is one of the most popular television apps for use with Chromecast, and with the sheer amount of programming available, it’s not hard to see why. Users can cast content from the BBC’s range of television and radio channels directly to their TV, which can then be fast-forwarded, skipped and tweaked to your liking just like the iPlayer app on your laptop or tablet device.
BT Sport
BT has sought to enforce itself as a major player on the UK sport broadcasting scene since the launch of BT Sport last year. Although Sky still dominates in terms of sheer content, BT Sport have signed several key deals which mean that the channel is the only place to see certain events, including Premiership football, live on television. Luckily, then, its Chromecast app providers subscribers with an easy way to send content to their screens from the mobile device, and once playing users can continue to use the app as they wish.
DayFrame
As well as broadcasting video and audio content, you can also use Chromecast to send images from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device to your television. DayFrame offers a quick and simple method to do this, collecting images from your Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Flickr, 500px, Tumblr and even Dropbox accounts. Photos can then be organised and displayed in a variety of ways, such as certain albums or profile, meaning you can always have your holiday snaps to hand if friends drop by.
AllCast
An alternative to Plex, AllCast is another easy way to store and stream content from your device to your television. The app makes it easy to cast your images, videos, and music to your big screen, allowing you to group and save sets of content quickly and easily, and also works with Dropbox and Google Drive, meaning you should always be able to access the files you want.
Netflix
Netflix has quickly become a byword for reliable, quality entertainment since its launch, with an extensive library of content available alongside in-house programming such as House Of Cards winning many fans. It’s not surprise then that the Netflix Chromecast app is a must-have, offering smooth streaming of content direct from your device – which can, in a nice touch, be used as a remote to pause, rewind, fast-forward and even change the volume of your media.
Vevo
Sometimes, all you want to is sit back and relax to some of your favourite music, but what if you’ve only got your laptop and your headphones have gone missing? Utilise the superior speakers in your television using the Vevo app, which lets you browse through the thousands of music videos currently stored to hunt down your top tracks. You can also create your own stream of hand-picked videos and play them, and thanks to its close partnership with YouTube, many leading artists are included, meaning you should never be without something to listen to.
Projectify
Music fans should be well-served by Chromecast’s apps, with Projectify another offering that is a must-have. Projectify delivers YouTube video content to your TV via Chromecast, based on what you have in your Spotify playlists, meaning it’s a quick and easy way to assemble a playlist of all your favourites.
Due to these links, though, the app requires Spotify premium, and you won’t be able to play anything that doesn’t have a matching video on YouTube, but asides from that, it offers an extensive library that is sure to keep you occupied for some time.
CastPad
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an artist, especially using the myriad of art and drawing applications available across Android and iOS, then CastPad could be the perfect tool to show off your work. This drawing app lets you doodle to your heart’s content – even over pictures from your personal library, with the images updated live on you television as you alter them on your phone or tablet. Five colours are initially available to draw with, with more available to purchase, meaning it’s ideal to show off your skills or for a game of Pictionary.
Artkick
As well as your own images, though, you may want to cast your eye over some classical output, or simply look to brighten up your television with some new wallpapers. Google has said it will soon be introducing a built-in feature for Chromecast, but until then, the likes of Allkick do a very good job.
The app offers a vast collection of artworks and photography from artists around the world, giving users the opportunity to display slideshows of special collections or venues, and also links to YouTube for video analysis and discussion of the works being shown.
