Get Started

Equipped with a general understanding of Cast, the different types of Senders and Receivers, and which platforms are supported (see Cast SDK Overview), you're ready to begin developing apps using the Cast SDK.

Prepare for Cast development

1. Connect your Cast device and complete the setup instructions.

   1. For Google Cast-enabled devices:

      1. Download the Google Home app from the Google Play Store to an Android Sender device

         or download the Google Home app from the Apple App Store to an iOS Sender device.

      2. Open the Google Home app on your Sender device and follow the setup prompts for your device, or consult the Google Home app support page which has links to setup instructions for all Google Cast-enabled devices.

   2. For other Cast-enabled devices, please refer to the manufacturer's setup instructions.

2. Register your Cast-enabled device at the Google Cast SDK Developer Console (this is required in order to use the device for testing). Do not attempt to register your device on the Developer Console without first completing the previous step.

3. Review the introductory materials on the specific platform and type of app you’re implementing:

   1. For Chromecast devices, including Chromecast with Android TV and touch display devices, see Android TV with Google Cast.
   2. For Google Cast for audio devices, see Audio Devices.

4. Decide which type of Receiver you intend to use.

5. Get the API libraries for the Sender and Receiver apps you intend to develop:

   API library setup instructions

   App Type	Web	iOS	Android
   Sender	Web Sender	iOS Sender	Android Sender
   Receiver	Web Receiver	n/a	Android TV Receiver

6. Try out the Sample Apps and Codelabs. The sample apps feature working code that can be compiled and executed, while the codelabs provide a guided, hands-on coding experience with step-by-step instructions.

Understand the development process

At this point, you're ready to get into the real work of developing a Cast app.

Below are the steps you need to follow:

1. Register your Web and Android TV Receiver apps through the Google Cast SDK Developer Console.
2. Review the User Experience Guidelines to learn how to implement a UI that's consistent with other Cast apps.
3. Review the Google Cast app development guides.
4. Review the API references.
5. Develop your Web and/or Android TV Receiver apps.
6. Regardless of the type of Web Receiver you plan to use, you will:
   1. Develop your Sender app(s).
   2. Test your Sender app(s).
   3. Test your Sender app(s) with your Receiver app(s).

Install API libraries and configure your toolchain

Follow the instructions for each API that your apps will use:

	Web	iOS	Android
Sender	Setup for Developing with the Cast Application Web Sender API Reference	Setup for Developing With the Cast Application Framework (CAF) for iOS iOS API Reference	Setup for Developing with the Cast Application Framework (CAF) for Android Android API Reference
Receiver	Web Receiver Overview Web API Reference	n/a	Android TV Receiver Overview Android API Reference

Download Cast icons (optional)

The Cast icons are included in the Cast Button UI on each platform as well as in the Android v7mediarouter library. If you're implementing a custom Cast button and you need to manually add the Cast icons, they are available to download separately. This zip archive includes versions for Android, iOS, and Web.