One of the best devices that Google has released in all its history is the Chromeacast. It seems incredible that something so small would allow us to give an old TV a second life or, directly, to bring Google TV to any TV with the new Chromecast Google TV.
However, another very popular one is the Fire TV Stick. Due to its price, the Amazon device has found a place in many homes and is very comfortable due to the possibility of installing applications and being able to send the mobile screen, but this function of sending content is somewhat limited. However, below we will tell you aboutHow to Turn a Fire TV Stick into a Chromecast with a Simple App. And yes, we will also see its limits.
With this application, the Fire TV becomes a Chromecast, or almost
As we say, the Fire TV is a great device. From the start (before the Chromecast with Google TV), Amazon opted for an Android-based operating system that allowed apps to be installed. It has its own store, you can download apps from Amazon and Fire TV Store and allows us to send content from the mobile, although with nuances.
Interestingly, there are apps like Prime Video or YouTube that let you send content to Fire TV natively. When we do this, the Fire TV opens the corresponding application and voila, we already see what we wanted to see. However, others like Disney+ or Movistar+ don’t offer this option, let’s not even mention those that aren’t like HBO Max or SkyShowtime, they don’t even have an app on Fire TV (although we can install both HBO and SkyShowtime via APK).
we can also do screen mirror From the phone. It’s not as simple as clicking the “Cast Screen” button that appears in the notifications and shortcuts bar, but it can be done. All in all, it’s a device designed for standalone use with its remote and native apps, but there’s a trick to turning a Fire TV Stick into a Chromecast. Well, rather… an app.
If we start browsing the App Store, we see several apps that promise to turn the Fire TV into a Chromecastbut there are paid versions, others that require us to have the same application on the mobile and on the Fire TV, others that directly do not work… in short, which is a bit confusing.
When we link the application to the mobile, a study of the signal appears.
After several tests (and some disappointments with applications that did not work or worked very well, but are not officially available on Fire TV), we opted for AirScreen -here you have the link-. It is not an application that has much mystery, since it basically allows AirPlay, Cast and Miracast, as well as the DLNA protocol. It has no ads and you just have to install it on the Fire TV, nothing to fold the app on mobile.
As they say, there are several applications, but since they all look the same and this one works well, it’s the one we tested. Having said that, when we open AirScreen on Fire TV, a screen appears with a QR code. We have to scan it with our Android mobile and at that time a browser page opens on the mobile that tells us how the system works.
This is the most basic thing you can imagine: it just tells us that we must have both devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network and explains how the “Send screen” button works. He also tells us that the receiving device is called “AS-AFTT” and, after seeing this mini-tutorial, it’s time to start sending content.
What I’m about to tell you now isn’t much science either: when you’re in an app, click the “Send Screen” button and the receiving device should appear. If you bring up the options bar and click the “send screen” icon, you will mirror your mobile screen and everything that appears (except streaming video apps). And speaking of which, We’ve tested how this “fake Chromecast” is and we’ll tell you which apps work and which don’t:
|
Disney+ |
Dazn |
HBO Max |
Google Photos |
laptop screen |
SkyShowtime |
Movistar+ |
First video |
Youtube |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
It’s annoying that Disney+, SkyShowtime and Movistar+ aren’t leaving, but being able to send the mobile or Dazn screen so easily is great. You can also send videos and photos from Google Photos and the best thing (and what surprised me the most) is that HBO Max works. I didn’t give a dime for this to happen and, in fact, I expected Disney+ to run before HBO.
HBO Max on Fire TV without having to download an APK. And it’s luxurious.
And it’s particularly curious because of what he commented a few lines ago: HBO does not have official support in our territory, so this is great news. Regarding the quality of service, I have nothing to complain about. I think the resolution is adequate and some apps are more agile than others (sending content from YouTube is much more agile than from HBO Max), but the overall experience is good.
Now, it would have been great if the apps that aren’t working… did, but at the end of the day, we think it’s just an extra check that those apps are working.
There are applications with which there is no luck.
And that’s it, it’s not that they don’t go and now, but that they say the Chromecast is not compatible. With this application, we make the mobile believe that the Fire TV is a Chromecast Ultra, but it seems that there are apps that don’t believe in it. Disney+, for example, lets you stream seamlessly to a genuine Chromecast Ultra.
But OK, we had to try casting a Fire TV Stick to Chromecast and we did, with its limitations and the pleasant surprise of being able to send HBO Max to television. And yes, in case you were wondering, you can send content from certain PC apps (like Chrome or VLC) to Fire TV with AirScreen.
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