Google's $35 Chromecast dongle may have limited functionality right now, but it's still flying off the shelves. At least, it is in the U.S, the only officially supported Chromecast country right now. If you've picked one up to use with your iPhone or Mac, there's a couple of different ways to get the dongle set up, including the recently released iPhone application. It's this we're focusing on today, so here's how to get up and running with your Chromecast using your iPhone.
Once you've followed the instructions in the box to plug in and turn on your Chromecast, launch the Chromecast application (download links at the bottom of this post) and tap "setup a new Chromecast." The first thing you'll be prompted to do, is to head into the Settings app on your iPhone, then into WiFi and find the network with the unique name of your Chromecast. Tap to connect, and you'll see a screen declaring a new Chromecast has been found, and that the next stage is to choose a network to connect to and to name your device. You'll also be informed to switch your TV to the correct HDMI input, and will be presented with a code to verify you're heading in the right direction.
Once the app has found the Chromecast, you're then directed towards connecting to your home WiFi network to enter your credentials, and to name this particular Chromecast. Give it a recognizable name, especially if you'll have more than one in your home, as it's the only way you'll be able to tell which one you're sending stuff too. After that, you're good to go, and the setup process will take care of the rest.
Once the process completes, you're all set, and you'll see the screen shown here. If you have more than one Chromecast, you'll see a list of them all here, and you can also access basic settings too such as reset and reboot, renaming, changing WiFi network details and changing the time zone. All content is dealt with through individual apps such as YouTube and Netflix. And that's all there is to it. Using your iPhone, setting up a Chromecast is a breeze!
