How to Use the Google Home Mini as a TV Speaker: A Review
Google has a couple of devices in its smart hub lineup. This includes the Google Home Mini, which is a compact but very well-endowed smart hub. Google's own Google Assistant powers the Google Home Mini. This is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant.
Google Assistant helps you to search the web, play or pause music, dim smart lighting, and even control your TV. It can also take charge of your TV's audio, and this begs the question of How to use the Google Home Mini as a TV Speaker and plenty more besides.
This smart speaker has a wide range of functionality in homes, but our focus in this review will be mainly on how it can be used as the audio output device for your TV, whether the TV is smart or not. There are various ways to circumvent this.
The various ways of doing this - How to use Google Home as a Speaker?
How to Use Google Home Mini with Chromecast
To use your Google Home Mini as a TV speaker, you first have to connect the device with your TV. One of the ways to do this is by using Google's Chromecast, a streaming media player that takes content from the web and plays it on your TV upon request.
When the Chromecast is paired with the Google Home Mini, you have the option of using Google Assistant voice commands on your Google Home Mini.
Connecting your Chromecast
- Ensure your Chromecast is plugged into your TV and that it is on the same network as your Google Home Mini, connected to the same Wi-Fi network or router.
- Turn your TV on and ensure Chromecast screen visibility is enabled on your TV
- Launch the Home app on your smart device, either Android or IOS. It's key to note there are slight variations on both of these platforms.
- Click on the Sign that looks like a speaker in the device's interface and click add a new device.
- Follow the Wi-Fi set-up instructions and then go back to the App and press continue
- You will get a cipher on your TV and smartphone, and if they match, you're all set to go.
Link Chromecast to Google Home Mini
- Launch the Home app on your smart device.
- Spool down to the settings option.
- Head to TVs and speakers and press the plus sign
- Select the device that you want to link with your Google Home Mini and follow all other given instructions.
- Remember to label your device, and after the linking is completed, you are done.
Use a TV that has Google Chromecast built-in
The first option we have looked at of connecting your Google Home Mini with Chromecast is embraced for TVs that are not smart or smart TVs that do not have Chromecast built-in. This option is for Smart TVs with Chromecast built-in.
This will allow Google Home Mini to either play streaming content or, in reverse, be used as the audio output. There are additional functionalities, such as volume control, without the additional Chromecast player plugin.
How to Connect Google Home Mini?
Connecting your Chromecast
- If the smart TV has come with Chromecast as standard, you will use your smart device, either Android or iOS, to perform the initial setup work using the Google Home App.
- To pair your smart TV that has Chromecast built-in with the Google Home Mini, Launch the Home app on your smart device
- Click on the Sign that looks like a speaker in the device's interface and click add a new device.
- Follow the Wi-Fi set-up instructions and then go back to the App and press continue
- You will get a cipher on your TV and smartphone, and if they match, you're all set to go.
Additional features available on Google Home Mini and Chromecast pairing
Once you have paired Chromecast with your Google Home Mini, you can use the Google Assistant voice commands to cast content to your TV for the following content; Netflix, YouTube Music and TV, Google Photos, Spotify, HBO NOW, and plenty more besides.
You can use your Google Home Mini to ask Chromecast to pause, play, skip, or stop content being played on your TV.
When using the Chrome cast plug in your Google Home, Mini can turn your TV on or off.
Conclusion - Google Home Mini setup
To sum it all up, the Google Home Mini can be used as an external audio output for your TV as well as so many other things, which makes it an ideal purchase for anyone.
Related Resources
Smart Home Automation