The Chromecast is a device developed by Google that allows you to stream content from your computer, mobile device, or tablet to your television. The Chromecast itself does not have a user interface, you control it via the device from which you are streaming your content. The device costs $35, about one-third of the price of the somewhat comparable Apple TV. In this evaluation, I tested the Chromecast to assess its accessibility using several operating systems: a Windows computer, an iOS device running iOS 7, and an Android running 4.4 KitKat.
Box Contents, Device Description, and Documentation
When you open the Chromecast box, the Chromecast itself will be situated in a small tray above the other components. Below this tray is a compartment that houses the USB power supply, a USB-to-Micro-USB cable, and an HDMI extension cable to be used if the HDMI port on your TV is too shallow to directly insert the Chromecast. The Chromecast comes with printed instructions, and an accessible version of Chromecast instructions can be found online.
The Chromecast itself is very simple. Physically, it's similar to a large USB flash drive with a round end tapering to a rectangular end. The rectangular end is where the HDMI male connector (similar to a USB connector) is located. A micro-USB female port for connecting the power supply is located at the round end. Next to the micro-USB port is a button for resetting the device.
Setting up your Chromecast
Once you connect your Chromecast to your TV and the USB cable to both the Chromecast and a power source (either the USB power supply or a USB port on your TV) you must change your TV source to the HDMI channel where you inserted your Chromecast. The Chromecast setup screen will be displayed on the TV screen but there is no audio feedback to alert you to this fact. Once your Chromecast is connected to your TV and powered on, you must set it up by using one of the Chromecast apps for Windows, iOS, OSX, Android, or Chromebook.
I will describe the setup process generally as it is similar across devices. I will then describe the accessibility of setting up the Chromecast from a Windows computer using NVDA and JAWS, an iOS device running iOS 7, and an Android running 4.4 KitKat.
- When you launch the Chromecast setup app, which you have downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, you will first connect to the Chromecast wireless network. This will be how your device communicates with the Chromecast before the device t is connected to your wireless network.
- You will be asked to match a code consisting of letters and numbers on your device to one that appears on your TV screen. If you are visually impaired and do not have sighted assistance, you will be forced to guess as the code on the TV screen is not read aloud.
- Next, you will name your Chromecast. Initially, it is named "Chromecast [four digit number]."
- Finally, you will connect the Chromecast to your wireless network so that it can access the Internet.
Immediately after I set up my Chromecast, it automatically downloaded and installed an update. During that time, my device did not know why it could not communicate with the Chromecast and informed me that I needed to allow devices to communicate on my wireless router. I had no way of knowing without a sighted assistant that the app was wrong and that the device was downloading an update as the information concerning the update is presented in text on your TV screen.
Windows
The Windows Chromecast app is not accessible. When using JAWS, you cannot read the text that explains the buttons that you must choose from. When using NVDA, you cannot read the contents of the combo box that allows you to choose your wireless network so it's not possible to continue the setup.
Android 4.4 KitKat
The Android Chromecast app is very accessible using TalkBack. The buttons are labeled and the text is readable. The app is also very simple so that items are easily found. Google did an excellent job when designing this app.
iOS 7
Unlike the Android and Windows apps, you must manually connect to the Chromecast wireless network when using an iOS device. It's possible to successfully setup your Chromecast using iOS but the iOS Chromecast app is not fully accessible. When instructions are read, the text is doubled. For example if you were at the top of the screen where you must verify the code that appears on the TV screen and flicked right through the instructions, you would first encounter an element that told you to verify that the text on the app and the TV screen match. If you continued to flick right you would see the same text again. In addition to this oddity, the button for selecting a wireless network is not labeled. Overall, it is possible to setup Chromecast using an iOS device but it is not as simple as doing so from an Android device.
Streaming Content from Mobile Apps
The main function of Chromecast is to send content from various mobile apps to your TV, using your mobile device as a remote. There are several apps that take advantage of the Chromecast. I will describe the accessibility of the most popular apps on iOS and Android: Pandora, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube.
Pandora on Android
On Android, an icon labeled "Media Output" appears in the bottom right corner of the screen. Activating this will launch a dialogue that says "Connect to Device." From here you can select your Chromecast. When your Android device is streaming through Chromecast, the area where the artist and album appear will display the words "Casting to [Your Chromecast's Name]." If you wish to disconnect, you can activate the "Media Output" button where you will find an element labeled "Disconnect Device." When you disconnect, Pandora will start playing a new song.
Pandora on iOS
When using Pandora and iOS, you will find a button in the bottom right corner of the playback screen labeled "Eureka Button." Activating this button will launch an alert screen where you can select the name of your Chromecast to send your stream to the Chromecast. When the stream is established on the Chromecast, you will see the text "Casting to [Your Chromecast's Name]." If you wish to disconnect, select the "Eureka" button and in the resulting alert choose "[Your iOS Device Type]."
Netflix
When using Android, you will discover a button in the playback controls labeled "Play On." This will launch a dialogue where you can select your Chromecast. The controls are accessible and labeled properly. On iOS, you can select a button labeled "Target Selector" to choose your Chromecast. At this point, you lose control of the playback as the controls are not recognized at all by VoiceOver. They do not register at all even if you are able to locate the position on the screen where the controls reside.
Hulu Plus
Hulu Plus on Android is horrendous. The button for sending your stream to the Chromecast is unlabeled. If you manage to connect the device, the playback controls, (play/pause, volume etc.) are also unlabeled. This makes it extremely difficult to operate the app.
To send your Hulu stream to the Chromecast on iOS, you must select a button labeled "CastIconNotConnected." This button lies in the very top corner of any tab that is not the Search tab. When you select this button a dialogue will appear that says "Play On." Below this text is the name of your Chromecast. Selecting it will close the dialogue and connect your device to the Chromecast. The button in the top right corner will now read "CastIconConnected." The controls are somewhat accessible by accident. They are labeled irregularly but the buttons are still recognizable. For example, the play/pause button is labeled "RemotePlayNormal." Some are not as easily identified; the back 10 seconds button is labeled "RemoteTenBackNormal." The volume control is an unlabeled slider. Also, the playback controls overlay the content of the previous screen and VoiceOver can see the elements of the previous page but cannot interact with them. This tends to clutter the page.
YouTube
On Android, there is a "Media Output" button at the top of the main screen in the center that launches the dialogue where you can choose your Chromecast as your output device. When you are playing a video, this button is in the top right corner and it is where you can disconnect from your Chromecast if you are connected to it. The controls are accessible. You must flick to the "Play/Pause" button to activate it; the button does not recognize that you have selected it if you attempt to touch it directly. Otherwise, this app is fairly accessible; there is an unlabeled button that maximizes the video information but everything else is labeled.
On iOS, there is a button in the top right corner of the main screen, to the left of the "Search" button that is labeled "YouTube TV." This button also appears on the video playback screen in the same location. When selected, it launches a dialogue where you can connect or disconnect to the Chromecast. The video controls are accessible but you must touch them to be able to flick through them. If you attempt to flick to them you will move past them without VoiceOver highlighting them for activation.
Screen Mirroring
If you have the desktop version of the Chrome browser on your computer, you can mirror your screen on your TV. First, install the Google Cast Extension. This will place a "Google Cast" button on your screen in the same area where the buttons for "Chrome menu," "Reload," "Bookmark," etc., are located. I used NVDA to access this menu. It required that I use mouse routing keys to access the controls. Therefore, you may encounter varying accessibility based on the ability of your screen reader to access the Chrome Browser. When you send a tab to your TV, Both video and audio will be sent allowing you to watch media in Chrome and have it display on your TV screen.
The Bottom Line
Sadly, the Chromecast is not an optimum streaming device for people who are blind or visually impaired. Accessibility varies wildly from app to app, so your access will depend on your particular arrangement. The information displayed by the Chromecast itself is completely inaccessible. In general, the device is somewhat unstable. For example, when streaming from Pandora can get out of sync, which makes controlling what is happening on your TV difficult if not impossible. At the moment, I would not recommend the Chromecast to people with visual impairments. Apple TV, even though it is close to three times the cost of the Chromecast, provides a much more stable and accessible experience.
Product Information
Product: Google Chromecast
Cost: $35
