Pair remote by holding the (TV)
Connect Google Home app to Chromecast by scanning QR code (Home app on phone)
Connect to WiFi (Home app on phone)
Sign in with Google account (Home app on phone)
Choose Google services (Home app on phone)
Set up Google Assistant (Home app on phone)
Choose your apps (Home app on phone)Choose Ambient Mode photo sources (Home app on phone)
Set up volume and power buttons on remote (TV)
Sign in to your third-party services (both TV and phone — some examples: Netflix seems to be the most tedious, Disney+ can sign in automatically with Google Smart Lock if you already have it enabled on your phone, CBS All Access can sign in automatically when you have the app open on your phone, Amazon Prime Video and ESPN require entering codes on activation pages in browser)
[Optional) go back to set up input switcher button on remote by using the remote to go to settings on the TV
The Chromecast is arguably one of the most revolutionary products Google has ever released. It completely changed the way we move content around our screens and helped pave the way for the streaming revolution.
Google hasn’t really changed the Chromecast much since its inception. It changed the shape a couple of times and gave it a 4K version, but by and large, the experience didn’t fundamentally shift. In that time, a lot of Google’s competitors have started to catch up. Amazon, Roku, Apple, and other companies have built streaming devices of their own, directly competing with Google’s Chromecast, while far surpassing it in interface and features.
But now, Google is realizing it needs to compete in the modern streaming race. While the Chromecast is great for, well, casting, users are flocking to full-fledged TV experiences that help you find what to watch. After years of offering an OS that does just that but never really caught on, Google is finally re-entering the streaming wars in a big way with Chromecast with Google TV — a media player that delivers the best of Chromecast and the best of Android TV in a distinctly Google way.