Catering mainly to cord-cutters on a budget, Philo gives you access to live TV programming for just $20/mo. Even with such a low price tag, the service offers several standout features like unlimited DVR storage and simultaneous streaming. Learn more about what you get with the service in our detailed Philo review.
Philo also works with a wide range of devices, giving you multiple ways to stream the service. And for Chromecast users, the service recently introduced an option to cast your Philo streams to your TV. Starting July 2020, Philo announced that the service’s Android app will now be Chromecast-enabled.
This is great news for anyone who already owns a Chromecast device and has been looking for a way to stream Philo on the big screen without investing in another streaming player. In this post, we give you a detailed breakdown of the Philo Chromecast streaming process. Let’s get started.
How to get Philo on Chromecast
To get Philo on Chromecast, you’ll need an active subscription to the service and an internet connection. You’ll also need two devices besides the Chromecast — one to cast from and another to display the stream.
You’ll typically want to cast to your TV and watch Philo on the big screen. But you can also cast from your phone to your laptop, for instance. And the device you’re casting from could be anything from your laptop or desktop to your phone or tablet. Note that if you’re casting from a mobile or a tablet, Philo only supports casting from an Android device.
If you don’t already have a Philo subscription, here’s how you can get one:
- Visit the official Philo website or download the app from your device’s app/channel store.
- Provide your email or phone number in the signup field. If you’re signing up from the app, click on the “Start Free Trial” button on the welcome screen.
- If you’re signing up from the website, click on the “Get Started” button to begin your free trial. For app users, this step requires you to enter your mobile number.
- Follow the confirmation link sent to your phone or email to verify your info.
- Select “Confirm sign-up” and that’s it. You now have an active Philo subscription.
With the signup process above, you automatically get a 2-day free trial to the service. And you won’t even have to enter your payment details to start the trial. At the end of the 2 days, Philo will ask for your payment info to continue the free trial for a full week. After this, Philo will charge you $20/mo. if you decide to keep using the service.
Keep in mind that since Chromecast is a casting device, it doesn’t let you install apps on the player itself. That also means you won’t have the option to download a dedicated Philo Chromecast app. So here’s how you can watch Philo using Chromecast:
- Open the Philo website from your Chrome browser. Or open the Philo app on your Android mobile or tablet. Then log in using your credentials.
- Make sure whatever device you’re casting from is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast.
- Find the programming you want to watch and select it to start playing.
- On the top right-hand corner of the screen, look for the casting icon that looks like a small square outline with three concave lines and tap on it.
- Select the device you want to cast to, and this will instantly start displaying the Philo program to your TV.
Can you watch Philo on older Chromecast models?
Philo only supports casting to newer Chromecast devices i.e., 2nd Generation models or later. So you won’t have the option to watch Philo using a 1st Generation Chromecast. At the time of writing this post, there’s no workaround to watch Philo on older Chromecast models.
Philo supported devices
If you don’t have a compatible Chromecast model, there are still plenty of ways to stream Philo. At the time of writing this post, you have the option to stream Philo from the following devices:
- Amazon Fire tablet (OS 5.0 or higher)
- Amazon Fire TV (all models)
- Android phones and tablets (running OS 5.0 or higher)
- Android TV (running OS 5.0 or higher and must be Google-certified)
- Apple TV (4th Generation or later)
- Chromecast (2nd Generation or later)
- iOS phones and tablets
- Roku players (all current models)
Unfortunately, Philo currently doesn’t support streaming on gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. But even if you have none of these compatible devices, you can always stream from your Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari browser.
How to download Philo content on Chromecast
Philo mostly deals in live TV programming, and its on-demand content comes from the networks in its channel lineup. So it doesn’t give you the option to download content to watch offline.
That said, Philo comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage, which allows you to record live TV programs and watch them whenever you want for up to 30 days. But even to watch these recordings, you’ll still need a working internet connection.
Most live TV streaming services work the same way, although Hulu + Live TV will let you download content from its on-demand library to watch offline if you have the ad-free plan. Keep in mind that this option only works for content in the Hulu streaming library and not for live TV programs.
Either way, streaming services still won’t give you the option to watch downloaded content offline using Chromecast. Since these devices need an internet connection to cast content from your phone or tablet to your TV, they can’t support offline viewing.
The final cut
The Philo Chromecast streaming option is great for anyone who prefers using Chromecast or doesn’t want to invest in a new device. But keep in mind that you can only cast from Android phones and tablets or from your browser. And you’ll need at least a Chromecast 2nd Generation to cast Philo to your TV.
If you’re interested in trying out the Philo Chromecast streaming experience, make sure you sign up for a Philo free trial.