The iPhone is capable of casting and mirroring its content to a smart TV through AirPlay. But if you don’t have an AirPlay-enabled TV, using a Chromecast is a perfectly good alternative. However, this requires a Chromecast App iOS to help your iPhone communicate with the media streaming device. Keep on reading as we review seven of the best iOS apps for the Chromecast on the App Store to help you pick one for your needs.
1. Google Home
The Google Home app allows you to link your iPhone with your Chromecast, enabling you to control the Chromecast using your phone. Best of all, you can even play media (i.e., videos, music, photos, and podcasts) from your iPhone to a TV using cast-enabled apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Photos.
Google Home is available on Android and iOS, with support for iPad, and the app is free to use. However, if you’re going to use it to cast content from apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, you’ll have to pay for those subscriptions. The Google Home app has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on the App Store based on over 700K reviews, with many reviews focused on its smart home capabilities.
Here are the pros and cons of the Google Home app:
- You can use the app to change the Chromecast’s settings
- You can use Google Home to stream media from cast-enabled iOS apps on your iPhone to your TV
- You can’t broadcast media to Chromecast from apps that aren’t cast-enabled
- There’s no screen mirroring option
- Free
Overall, if you are looking for an app to control your Chromecast and cast media from iPhone to TV, Google Home is a good option. If you want screen mirroring, you might want to combine it with another app that has that capability.
2. Replica
Replica is a screen mirroring app that allows you to view your iPhone’s screen on the TV via a Chromecast. That way, you can broadcast media, from videos and photos to social media content and slideshow presentations, from apps on your phone to your TV.
Replica is only available on the App Store for iOS, and it also works well on iPad. There’s a free version of the app, which has ads and some restrictions, such as 15 minutes of casting and a watermark. You can upgrade to the premium version for $2.50 per month. The app has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on the App Store.
Here are the pros and cons of Replica:
- You can use screen mirroring to broadcast a variety of apps to your TV screen
- The browser function allows you to mirror your iPhone’s screen to a web browser without Chromecast
- You can’t screen mirror media from copyright-protected apps
- You can only cast for 15 minutes with the free version
- Free ($2.50 a month for Premium)
We think this Chromecast app iPhone is good for people who aren’t concerned with streaming movies and series from subscription services from their iPhone to a TV. Rather, if you want to enjoy photos, videos, and slideshows from apps that aren’t cast-enabled, Replica is a good choice.
3. TV Cast Chromecast
TV Cast Chromecast is a cast-enabled app that allows you to broadcast videos from the web through the built-in browser, as well as photos and videos from your personal gallery. It also enables you to mirror your iPhone’s screen, but you’ll need to pay $3.99 to unlock this feature.
The free version, which is available for Android and iOS devices, lets you cast web videos all you want but limits the number of personal files you can stream. To unlock the full version of the app, it will cost you $6.99. The app currently holds a rating of 4 stars out of 5 based on 31K reviews App Store reviews.
Here are the pros and cons of TV Cast Chromecast:
- You can cast web videos from various websites
- You can stream content with no noticeable lag
- Apps and websites with copy-righted content won’t show their videos
- The screen mirroring function is not free
- Casting media from your personal gallery is limited
- The ability to rewind and forward videos is locked behind a paywall
- A free version available
- The Pro version costs $6.99
We would only recommend TV Cast Chromecast for Chromecasting web videos to your TV. However, even that is a bit hard to justify with the developers locking the Playbar behind a paywall. Those looking for free Chromecast apps iOS are better off looking elsewhere.
4. Web Video Cast
Web Video Cast focuses on one thing: casting web videos to your TV through your Chromecast (it also supports other media streaming devices). Basically, you enter the URL of the video you want to watch in the app’s address bar, and when the webpage loads, it will detect the video and give you the option to play it.
Web Video Cast is available on both Android and iOS, and you can use the free version forever. The paid version adds more features, such as an ad blocker, bookmarks, recent videos, and a custom homepage, for $4.99. According to the App Store reviews, the app holds a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5, based on 53K reviews.
Here are the pros and cons of Web Video Cast:
- You can cast web videos from various websites to your TV
- Videos stream with no noticeable lag
- Only for casting web videos with the built-in browser – no casting of personal media or screen mirroring
- Videos from sites with copy-righted content don’t show
- A free version is available
- The Pro version costs $4.99
We recommend this app if all you want to do is simply cast web videos on your TV using your Chromecast. It’s easy to use and does the basic functions of playing video well without the major core functions being paywalled.
5. Screen Mirroring on Chromecast
Screen Mirroring on Chromecast lets you stream videos and photos from your favorite apps, personal gallery, or the web onto your TV through your Chromecast.
The app is available only on iOS, and you get the premium version starting from $2.49 per month, which removes ads and enables the playback of videos at 1080p. However, you can purchase a life license for $24.99. Screen Mirroring on Chromecast has 437 App Store reviews, with an average of 3.7 out of 5 stars.
Here are the pros and cons of Screen Mirroring on Chromecast:
- It does a good job streaming media from phone to Chromecast with sound
- The free version has no limitations on the length of time you can stream
- Can’t watch videos from copy-righted apps when mirroring
- Some users may experience lag when playing videos
- Free ($2.49 a month for Premium)
- The Lifetime subscription costs $24.99
We would recommend Screen Mirroring on Chromecast for unlimited screen mirroring and streaming with the free version. However, with the lag that some users have reported, it might not be ideal for streaming video games or anything that requires real-time interaction.
6. Smart View Cast
Smart View Cast is a feature-rich Chromecast iOS app. On top of allowing you to mirror and cast videos and photos from your personal library and the web, you can also cast IPTV channels. However, you will still need an IPTV subscription.
The app is only available on iOS and the premium version starts from $1.67 a month to unlock features like casting IPTV, YouTube, web videos, and web images. You can also pay for a lifetime license for $39.99. The app has 22K ratings on the App Store, averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Here are the pros and cons of Smart View Cast:
- The app offers a range of casting options, on top of screen mirroring
- The app allows you to stream IPTV channels
- The lifetime subscription is expensive
- The screen mirroring is limited in the free version
- Free ($1.67 a month for Premium)
- The Lifetime subscription costs $39.99
If you are looking to steam IPTV, which includes sports, news, movies, TV series, and lifestyle channels, Smart View Cast is the best option.
7. iWebTV
iWebTV is essentially a web browser with a casting function. You can cast pretty much any website to your TV screen. If the website has videos or music that isn’t copyright-protected you can play it and enjoy it on your TV through the Chromecast.
This is an iOS-only app, and the paid version will cost you $0.99 per month, giving you access to premium features such as the ad blocker, desktop mode, and HD auto-select. You can get the premium version forever for $6.99. And if you look at the reviews on the App Store, iWebTV is averaging 4.6 stars out of 5 based on 52K ratings.
- The app allows you to cast websites to your TV
- There’s no screen mirroring option
- There’s no option to cast personal photos and videos
- Free ($0.99 a month for Premium)
- The Lifetime subscription costs $6.99
iWebTV will do the trick when you just want to browse the web on the TV using your iPhone. But the lack of screen mirroring and casting of personal videos and photos means you can’t use this app by itself for Chromecasting on iPhone.
How to Pick a Chromecast App for Your iPhone
The best Chromecast apps for iOS let you cast your photos and videos on your TV. That way, you can watch on a bigger screen, which can come in handy if you want to enjoy them with others in the room. While the ability to cast movies and series from apps like Netflix and Hulu is nice, it is not necessary since many modern smart TVs come with their own versions of these apps.
Screen Mirroring is also another important feature, as it will allow you to broadcast from apps that aren’t cast-enabled, such as Facebook and TikTok. It can also come in handy when illustrating steps on your iPhone. Playing web videos is also a plus since you can play media from websites like YouTube, Vimeo, and TedTalk.
Conclusion
There’s no shortage of Chromecast apps for the iPhone on the App Store. As you can see, no one app does everything, meaning you might have to use about two of them to make use of your Chromecast to the fullest when using an iPhone. To that end, Google Home will help you set up and stream content from cast-enabled apps, while you can use Replica for screen mirroring and playing web videos on your TV.