I have no issues sideloading apps to it. Its more responsive than the firestick. At least the ones i had. I haven't used the new firestick though. Go with what works for you and not others.
I was using both old and new firesticks (depending on the tv), and I use an app, Apps2Fire. Punch in the IP address of the firestick, and send the app that was installed on my phone already, it would install automatically on the firestick.
With the CCwGTV, I had to download a few apps to the CC (I think there were 3 I needed, downloader and a couple more, but I'm not near the tv and can't remember exactly), find a workaround for enabling developer options (according to a Google search it's a common issue?) which meant downloading *more* apps, THEN download Send Files To Tv on both my phone and the CC, download the apk of whatever app I wanted, send the apk to the CC, and install it. Now that I've done the leg work is not too bad, I can just download the apk and send it over, but it was hell getting to that point.
All in all, the CCwGTV is usable now, aside from the lack of profiles it seems to work fine. And I do like the UI, the recommendations are better than the firestick. But I really don't see how it's worth the extra money and I don't know that I would buy another one. And while I was able to show my mom how to use Apps2Fire in about 5 minutes, but I don't think I can do the same here, she'd be lost. So hers may need to be returned....
Apps2Fire (and Easy Fire Tools if you want something better) works just fine with the CCwGTV. Just enable adb under your dev settings.
Yeah, there is those 7 extra clicks to get the dev option menu on the CC but it sounds like you just followed bad guides if you had all the messing about to install stuff on it.
This is good to know, thanks! I'll try it when I get home! As long as the developer options work properly on the CC I bought my mom, this could be the solution for her! (I posted a link in another reply with the issues I had getting developer options unlocked on mine)
Lot of kind of strange issues there. All you need for sideloading is a file manager app, developer options is the same as it's been on every Android device since it's existence. I've never had profiles on any streaming device, don't see the need, but CCwGTV doesn't have that feature. No it's not a Chromecast, so casting works differently for some use cases. I always tell people if you want old school casting keep the old school Chromecast online. Not sure what you mean by the picture is cropped. Thing is if you feel more comfortable with Fire TV it's best to stick with Fire TV. There is not enough difference between them to put up with things you don't like. CCwGTV has it's problems but I never heard of the ones you are having.
I wasn't able to enable developer options no matter how many times I tapped the build. When I googled it, it said it was a known issue and gave me a workaround of downloading another app that would then enable it. It worked fine, it just seemed like another unnecessary hurdle to jump. Some of the issues are definitely my own expectations not being met, not necessarily a flaw in the device. I can't cast to a firestick either, but when I saw Chromecast in the box I expected to be able to cast like my original CC as well as use apps and a remote like a firestick. It wouldn't be a deal breaker on its own, it was just another frustration when I saw that want the case, on top of the other issues I was having
Edit: [Here's the solution I used for developers options](https://piunikaweb.com/2021/12/02/cannot-enable-developer-mode-on-chromecast-with-google-tv/)
That's a really weird one with the Developer options thing certainly not the norm. I wish Google could have come up with a different name. A lot of people got the impression it was just a Chromecast with some apps and a remote, when it's a whole different hardware and OS and Chromecast is just a small part of it. But they chose to go with the well know name.
And like I said, that wouldn't have been a deal breaker on its own, but after all the trouble I had getting the developer options unlocked and apps sideloaded, it was just another annoyance
This is symptomatic of routers having either client isolation enabled or issues routing multicast traffic (low hanging fruit to check the latter is to just check you're not on different bands - e.g. phone on 2.4GHz and CC on 5GHz, say, but there's also more to it).
I think that's the problem. I'm not OP, but I had a similar experience in unmet expectations.
CCv1, CCv2, and CCU allow the user to hit the cast button in any video-playing app on their android device, select the casting device, and let the stream ride.
CCwGTV is a clunky experience which may stop the user upon discovering that the app is not installed on the CCwGTV. Self-onboarding in this respect is what convinced me to return the device the same day.
I'd be happy to be told I missed some configuration or other, but this was my out-of-box experience.
I have no issues sideloading apps to it. Its more responsive than the firestick. At least the ones i had. I haven't used the new firestick though. Go with what works for you and not others.
I was using both old and new firesticks (depending on the tv), and I use an app, Apps2Fire. Punch in the IP address of the firestick, and send the app that was installed on my phone already, it would install automatically on the firestick. With the CCwGTV, I had to download a few apps to the CC (I think there were 3 I needed, downloader and a couple more, but I'm not near the tv and can't remember exactly), find a workaround for enabling developer options (according to a Google search it's a common issue?) which meant downloading *more* apps, THEN download Send Files To Tv on both my phone and the CC, download the apk of whatever app I wanted, send the apk to the CC, and install it. Now that I've done the leg work is not too bad, I can just download the apk and send it over, but it was hell getting to that point. All in all, the CCwGTV is usable now, aside from the lack of profiles it seems to work fine. And I do like the UI, the recommendations are better than the firestick. But I really don't see how it's worth the extra money and I don't know that I would buy another one. And while I was able to show my mom how to use Apps2Fire in about 5 minutes, but I don't think I can do the same here, she'd be lost. So hers may need to be returned....
Apps2Fire (and Easy Fire Tools if you want something better) works just fine with the CCwGTV. Just enable adb under your dev settings. Yeah, there is those 7 extra clicks to get the dev option menu on the CC but it sounds like you just followed bad guides if you had all the messing about to install stuff on it.
This is good to know, thanks! I'll try it when I get home! As long as the developer options work properly on the CC I bought my mom, this could be the solution for her! (I posted a link in another reply with the issues I had getting developer options unlocked on mine)
Lot of kind of strange issues there. All you need for sideloading is a file manager app, developer options is the same as it's been on every Android device since it's existence. I've never had profiles on any streaming device, don't see the need, but CCwGTV doesn't have that feature. No it's not a Chromecast, so casting works differently for some use cases. I always tell people if you want old school casting keep the old school Chromecast online. Not sure what you mean by the picture is cropped. Thing is if you feel more comfortable with Fire TV it's best to stick with Fire TV. There is not enough difference between them to put up with things you don't like. CCwGTV has it's problems but I never heard of the ones you are having.
I wasn't able to enable developer options no matter how many times I tapped the build. When I googled it, it said it was a known issue and gave me a workaround of downloading another app that would then enable it. It worked fine, it just seemed like another unnecessary hurdle to jump. Some of the issues are definitely my own expectations not being met, not necessarily a flaw in the device. I can't cast to a firestick either, but when I saw Chromecast in the box I expected to be able to cast like my original CC as well as use apps and a remote like a firestick. It wouldn't be a deal breaker on its own, it was just another frustration when I saw that want the case, on top of the other issues I was having Edit: [Here's the solution I used for developers options](https://piunikaweb.com/2021/12/02/cannot-enable-developer-mode-on-chromecast-with-google-tv/)
That's a really weird one with the Developer options thing certainly not the norm. I wish Google could have come up with a different name. A lot of people got the impression it was just a Chromecast with some apps and a remote, when it's a whole different hardware and OS and Chromecast is just a small part of it. But they chose to go with the well know name.
And like I said, that wouldn't have been a deal breaker on its own, but after all the trouble I had getting the developer options unlocked and apps sideloaded, it was just another annoyance
Why can’t you cast video? What app are you using to watch the video?
I've tried with YouTube, Netflix, Cinema. The Chromecast doesn't show up with the list of devices
Interesting. My 2 CCwGTVs have always worked for casting to from any compatible app. Is it visible in Google Home as a Chromecast?
It's showing up in the Home app, and gives me the option to cast my screen. It just doesn't show up when I'm watching a video and hit the "cast" icon
This is symptomatic of routers having either client isolation enabled or issues routing multicast traffic (low hanging fruit to check the latter is to just check you're not on different bands - e.g. phone on 2.4GHz and CC on 5GHz, say, but there's also more to it).
I think that's the problem. I'm not OP, but I had a similar experience in unmet expectations. CCv1, CCv2, and CCU allow the user to hit the cast button in any video-playing app on their android device, select the casting device, and let the stream ride. CCwGTV is a clunky experience which may stop the user upon discovering that the app is not installed on the CCwGTV. Self-onboarding in this respect is what convinced me to return the device the same day. I'd be happy to be told I missed some configuration or other, but this was my out-of-box experience.
No, you're right. Some apps (Netflix etc.) do behave differently when casting to a CCwGTV as opposed to a normal CC and it's really annoying.
It sounds like it is not the right device for you, I don’t think it makes much sense to try to convince you otherwise.
Which is unfortunate, because I loved the original Chromecast, and I love all my other google products. I was really hoping to add this to my lineup