Apple Music & Chromecast: 7 Common Questions (Answered)

Apple Music has taken traditionally unprecedented routes in expanding its streaming ecosystem.

Apple Music’s relationship with Google Chromecast has raised some questions, given that it has its own AirPlay. So, how compatible is Apple Music and Chromecast?

In this article, we bring you the answers to everything you need to know about Apple Music and Google Chromecast.

Is Chromecast Compatible with Apple Music?

Google Chromecast is an adapter used to share content from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet to your big screen.

But Google Chromecast is more than just a ‘dongle’; it can be built right into your tv.

Google Chromecast was first launched in 2013 as an adapter to turn any tv into a smart tv.

You can use Chromecast to access video content from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, the Google Play Store, and other services by using your smartphone or computer as a remote control.

As long as you have an Apple ID and an Apple Music subscription on an Android device, you can listen to Apple Music on a Chromecast-enabled device.

Android devices and Chromebooks must meet model and software specifications to cast your favorite Apple Music podcasts, radio channels, and curated playlists.

You can also check out our article Does Apple Music Work On My Device.

How to Control Apple Music on a Chromecast?

Currently, you can only cast from the Apple Music for Android app device through Wi-Fi to your speaker.

To control Apple Music on Chromecast efficiently, there is a checklist you need to cover first before you can get started.

These are the prerequisites you need:

• Your Android device should be updated to Android 5.0 or later.
• Your Apple Music subscription should be valid.
• Both your Android device and the Chromecast-enabled device should be connected to the same active Wi-Fi network.

Note also: You may use your Chromecast with Roku, here’s the difference.

Here’s how to cast Apple Music on Android to Chromecast:

• Launch ‘Apple Music’ on your device and play a song from your library.
• At the top right corner of the screen will be the ‘Cast’ icon, tap on it.
  • Note: The ‘Cast’ icon looks like a square icon with a wireless signal in the bottom left corner.
• A block will appear written ‘Cast To’, and all Chromecast-enabled devices will appear.
• Tap on your desired device.
• The ‘Cast’ icon will turn red to indicate that a connection has been established and the song you’re playing should output on your Chromecast-enabled device.

Here’s how to disconnect Apple Music from Chromecast:

• Open Apple Music on your device.
• Tap on the song that is currently playing, and now tap on the ‘Cast’ icon at the top right of the screen.
• A block will appear showing the Chromecast device that’s connected as well as the album art of the song.
• At the bottom right corner of the block, tap on ‘Stop Casting’
• That should end the connection between the two devices.

Do People Generally have Trouble using Chromecast with Apple Music?

Android device users scarcely have issues with casting because the Apple Music app for Android already includes built-in support for Chromecast.

But there have been users who have had concerns that they cannot connect to the Chromecast-enabled device where they could previously.

We found some helpful information if you are experiencing an issue using Chromecast with Apple Music:

• Restart your Chromecast device by unplugging it from the power source, wait for 5 minutes, then plug it back in and turn it on.
• Restart your Android device by switching it off and then switching it back on; note that Apple Music will also restart automatically.
• Make sure that both your Android device and your Chromecast-enabled device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. If they aren’t on the same network, they will not establish a connection.

These tips should resolve the connection issue.

However, if you find that your Apple Music App still won’t connect to your Chromecast, but on a different smartphone it does, then you need to uninstall your Apple Music App.

Here’s how to uninstall your Apple Music App:

• Press and hold the ’Apple Music ’app icon on your phone.
• Tap on ‘Uninstall’, and the App will be deleted from your phone.
• Then to reinstall, open ‘Play Store’ and type in ‘Apple Music” in the search bar.
• Tap on ‘Install’, and the app should start downloading onto your phone.

There have also been complaints cited from iPhone users that they are unable to Chromecast from their devices.

Unfortunately, you cannot cast from an iPhone, since Apple uses AirPlay, which can’t connect to Chromecast.

There are third-party apps that you can use to Chromecast from an iPhone.

Using an app that can cast locally stored music files to a smart TV is currently the only option to stream Apple Music audio from an iPad or iPhone via Chromecast.

You won’t be able to broadcast any streamed or live audio, but you can listen to albums or songs you’ve downloaded for offline listening in the Apple Music app.

Does Apple Music Work with Older Chromecast devices?

We speculate that Apple Music generally works with older Chromecast devices, as we have not found any information to the contrary.

Our reasoning is that as long as your Android device’s operating system is up-to-date and your Apple Music App is updated, then there shouldn’t be problems, as the Chromecast technology was built for Android.

How Hard is it to Use Chromecast with Apple Music?

The great news is that casting from Apple Music to Chromecast is a straightforward process.

You can also use the free Google Chrome web browser on a computer or tablet running Chrome OS, macOS, or Windows to stream Apple Music to a Chromecast-enabled TV.

Here’s how to cast Apple Music using the Google Chrome web browser:

• Launch the Google Chrome web browser.
• Type in ‘music.apple.com’ and enter to access the official Apple Music website.
• Log in using your Apple ID and credentials.
• Click on the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser to open the menu.
• Click on ‘Cast’ in the menu.
• Click on the name of the device you want to Chromecast to.
• You should now see a mirror of the browser window with Apple Music on your TV.

Should the audio disconnect from your Chromecast-enabled TV, stop the casting and establish a new connection.

Here’s how to cancel Chromecast mirroring:

• On the Apple Music browser window, click on the three dots in the top right corner of the browser to open the menu.
• Select ‘Cast’ in the menu.
• Now click on ‘Stop Casting’.
• The mirroring will now be canceled.

Can Apple Music be down on Chromecast Equipment?

There have been reports of the Apple Music app not connecting to Chromecast due to the Cast icon being missing.

The most common reason we have found for this is that your Android device and the Chromecast device are not connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Another way to troubleshoot a missing Cast icon is by restarting both your Android device and the Chromecast device.

Does Chromecast play Apple Music Lossless?

If you’re a music lover, it’s obviously important that your music plays at the best possible quality.

Lossless is a high-resolution audio that has been adopted by a number of music streaming services, including Apple Music.

Chromecast also supports high-resolution audio. You can stream up to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res lossless audio using Chromecast.

Our article Apple Music & Lossless:12 Common Questions further elaborates on how lossless works.

Sources

What Is Google Chromecast?

How to Cast Apple Music to Chromecast with Android/iPhone 

Does Apple Music Work On My Device (20 Devices Checked)

What is Hi-Res Audio? Here’s Everything You Need To Know