The latest nightly builds of Firefox for Android feature native support for the Google Chromecast.
Shocked? You shouldn’t be. We told you that Mozilla was planning to add Chromecast support for media files viewed in the browser back in May. While it’s taken a while to arrive, it’s now ready for wider testing.
‘the big catch for now is that cast support is currently confined to development builds’
Of course, the big catch for now is that cast support is currently confined to the development builds of the browser and not included in the versions on the Play Store.
If you have a Chromecast lying about and an Android device you don’t mind side-loading an APK on, using the nightly build will give an advance hands-on with the feature ahead of the rest of the world.
To try it out first download the corresponding Android APK from the Mozilla Nightly builds website below and install it on your Android device. You may need to first enable installation from ‘Unknown Sources’ through Settings > Security > Personal.
Next, hook up your Chromecast to a nearby TV and ensure that both it and your Firefox-toting Android device are running on the same network.
Finally, load up a supported media file in the browser (.mp4, .webm, .ogv) and hit the cast button that appears. Select your Chromecast from the list and, if all goes well, the media will begin playing on your TV.
Fire Expectations
As a feature still in development there are no guarantees that it will work well, if at all, nor does it come with any formal support. You’re also limited (at present) to casting HTML5 video and audio files. Tab casting is not supported, nor is streaming of encoded or encrypted content (i.e. Netflix, iPlayer, etc.).
Hopefully the feature is rounded out in the coming months, but with Mozilla planning to launch their own ‘open’ rival to the Chromecast sometime this year, it may have to take a backseat.
- Source: Lucas Rocha via Google+