Being able to share your screen with others shouldn’t be complicated or require special hardware. With AirDroid Cast, it’s as easy as installing the software and entering a code. It’s designed to simplify screen casting and mirroring so that you can focus on sharing what’s on your phone or computer screen with others. I recently had the pleasure of seeing how well AirDroid worked in action.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by AirDroid. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
Overview of Features
One standout feature of AirDroid Cast is cross-platform compatibility. It works with Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Easily cast your phone’s screen to your computer or share your computer screen to a larger computer screen. The software even supports sharing up to five device screens at one time.
There are three ways to cast your screen:
- Scan a QR code that appears on your computer or enter the numerical code
- Attach your device using a USB cable (USB debugging needs to be enabled on your mobile device first)
- Use AirPlay with compatible devices
For optimal performance, a USB cable works best. This is ideal for mobile gaming and other tasks that require faster frame rates. However, any of the three methods allow you to mirror your screen.
Even if devices aren’t on the same local network, you can still cast your device with the Remote Network function, which requires a premium account. This allows you to remotely cast your screen to another computer, even if you’re in a completely different location. It’s a perfect solution to sharing screens during remote meetings.
The software allows you to turn both macOS and Windows computers into AirPlay receivers. You don’t need any special hardware; just install the software, and you’re done.
You can even control your Android and iOS devices using your computer. This includes controlling gestures and typing using your mouse and keyboard. However, this feature does require a premium account.
Once this feature is enabled, you can set your phone to the side and open apps, type emails, send texts, and anything else you’d usually do on your phone. However, you’ll get to enjoy a much larger screen and the convenience of a keyboard and mouse versus touch gestures.
To make things even easier, you can also cast directly to a web browser. This is ideal for meetings and presentations when you don’t want to install software on the local device.
Web browser casting also works with remote networks, as long as you have a premium plan. This means someone could open the AirDroid Cast Web Client on their browser, share the access code with someone miles away, and see that person’s phone screen mirrored on their browser. It’s perfect for training, tutorials, and even meetings.
In addition to mirroring your screen, there’s also two-way audio. Easily talk to anyone you’re sharing your screen with. For remote screen casting, two-way audio works well to keep you from needing extra software for a meeting.
Common Use Cases
While AirDroid Cast could be used for any purpose, it’s mainly designed for:
- Meetings (both remote and local)
- Training and online presentations
- Online teaching
- Game streaming (both solo and with friends)
By using two-way audio, you can easily talk to fellow meeting attendees, students, or friends while sharing your screen. Plus, since multiple screens can cast to the same device simultaneously, it’s the perfect option for a multiplayer mobile gaming session or collaborating on a project during a meeting.
Getting Started
Immediately, I loved how AirDroid makes it easy to get started. It’s a simple matter of signing up for an account and installing the AirDroid Cast app to your mobile device and computer. There’s even a detailed tutorial with screenshots to guide you through the process, no matter which devices you’re using.
For my review, I’m using a Windows 11 PC and an Android 12 device. It took me around three minutes to download everything and get ready to start mirroring my screen.
I appreciate that AirDroid does warn you that the app will see any and all information on your device while casting. This includes passwords and other sensitive information. Make sure you’re not entering personal information where others will see it while using AirDroid.
If you want to use the remote control function on Android, you will be prompted to install the AirDroid Control Add-On (which is free).
Once you approve access on your mobile device, you’re ready to start casting.
Exploring the AirDroid Cast Interface
Overall, the AirDroid Cast interface on both the app and PC are relatively simple, which is a good thing. There aren’t a lot of settings to dig through. In fact, there are only six tabs in the Settings section:
- General – choose your language and whether AirDroid starts at startup.
- Control Mode – see the keyboard shortcuts to emulate mobile device gestures. There’s a note at the bottom about mouse controls only working on iOS 13.4 and higher.
- AirPlay Service – set up AirPlay.
- Cable – set up your image quality on iOS and Android along with your desired frame rate.
- Devices – see a list of trusted devices.
- About – check for updates and see the current version number.
Once I was casting, I could maximize the screen and even rotate it using the controls on the right side of my PC screen.
AirDroid Cast in Action
The app is just as easy to use as it is to set up. I started simple by just seeing how easy it was to cast my screen. I didn’t enable any mouse or keyboard controls at first.
While there is a slight delay when swiping from screen to screen, there wasn’t a noticeable delay when using most apps. I tried YouTube, weather apps, several games, email, opening Google Drive files, and a few social media apps.
I did notice the clarity wasn’t quite as sharp on my Windows PC as it was on my Android phone when viewing videos. As far as games and other apps that don’t need a higher frame rate, the clarity was almost the same on both devices.
The most noticeable delays came from more fast-paced games. I’d highly recommend using the USB cable to improve the frame rate. Over a local network, it’s just 15. When streaming YouTube, I noticed a little blurring at times, and the overall video quality was less than my phone but still easily visible.
I also tested casting to my web browser. It works similarly to casting to a computer. Visit the AirDroid Cast site and enter the required code on your mobile device. The screen quality looked the same using the Windows app and the browser.
The next step was to see how well AirDroid Cast works to control your phone using your PC. As stated above, I was prompted to install the add-on. I just had to click the Control icon (the hand) on my desktop to get the process started. Controlling with the mouse is amazing. It’s slightly sluggish, but that’s normal when mirroring your screen. I could swipe, open apps, play games, and more.
While mouse controls are good, I really wanted to make it easier to type with my PC keyboard versus the tiny smartphone keyboard. All I had to do was click the keyboard icon and I was prompted to enable the AirDroid Add-On Keyboard.
I noticed a fraction of a second delay when typing, but that was all. It was a wonderful experience to not only see my phone’s screen on a larger screen but be able to control it without touching my phone.
Everything worked the same when it came to casting my screen to a PC on a different network. It did take slightly longer to connect, but that’s all.
The last test was seeing how well the tool performs when connected via a USB cable. You do need to enable USB Debugging on your mobile device before this will work. I was prompted in the AirDroid mobile app to allow debugging when I connected my USB cable. On the desktop app, I just had to select “Cable” and choose my device.
At first, my device didn’t connect. I just kept getting a guide on how to enable USB debugging. After turning off USB debugging and turning it back on on my phone and using a different USB port, I had no issues.
There is no sluggishness when using a USB cable. I highly recommend this when you’re able to connect locally. Plus, video quality is much better without any skips or delays. It’s also easy to rotate the screen, no matter which connection method you use.
Pricing
AirDroid Cast offers three plans. The Free version is generous with unlimited data when on the same Wi-Fi network. However, only one device can log in to the account at one time.
With Remote Casting, you get three devices that can log in at once along with Remote Casting, AirPlay, and USB features. It’s just $2.49/month or $19.99/year.
To control your Android or iOS devices with your computer, you’ll need to upgrade to the Cast & Control plan. This includes all Remote Casting plan features and costs just $3.49/month or $29.99/year.
Final Thoughts
Overall, AirDroid Cast makes it incredibly easy to cast your Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS screen to a computer or browser. It only takes minutes to set up, and you can enjoy your tiny mobile screen on a much larger screen. Try it yourself for personal or business use today.
All screenshots taken by Crystal Crowder
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