Google has been promising the option of mirroring for Chromecast from a mobile device since last month's I/O Conference, and while they apparently have been dragging their feet in the weeks since, the search giant did announce it was enabling the feature for a number of phones and tablets.
The goal is to give Android devices the option of mirroring without the extra hassle of multiple devices and make sharing images easier and getting the latest episode onto a television with ease.
Getting mirroring functioning on Chromecast from a tablet or mobile device is fairly simple and straightforward. All a user needs to do is connect to the same wi-fi network as the Chromecast, open the app, and from the navigation drawer, select "cast screen." Then touch the button and select your Chromecast. Now, you are mirroring and it should appear on your monitor or television.
The company did make a few notations on the new option.
"Casting your mobile screen is currently not supported on iOS devices. At this time, Casting your mobile screen is only supported on the Android devices listed," the company said in informing users of the mirroring option.
The casting is currently in beta testing mode and the company is expected to rollout a number of updates as the option gets moving and comments are returned to Google.
The idea of mirroring will give users much more flexibility in how they show off their images, videos or when there are a group of friends over and choosing what to watch on Netflix becomes difficult. Now, a user can simply throw the image from their phone or tablet onto Chromecast for all to see and choose.
Observers also expect the use of mirroring to help those who want to deliver PowerPoint presentations to a larger audience, for those wanting to put images from Google Earth on a larger monitor or when using the Google Play store to watch a video before purchasing.
Overall, this new option should enable users to have much more flexibility to use a mobile device as a main computing device.
