Google promised to add app streaming to Chromebooks during CES 2023 this January, a feature that lets you access your phone’s screen right in theChromeOS Phone Hub. After months of radio silence, Google has now finally released an update to the Cross Devices Services app for Android phones, the application that is in charge of providing the screen mirroring capabilities. This makes it possible for some lucky few to turn on app streaming on their devices, giving us a first glimpse at what to expect once the feature rolls out widely.
When app streaming is properly activated, the demos we’ve seen show that app streaming is straightforward and easy to use. Android expert Mishaal Rahman took to Twitter toshare screenshots of the process, showing that the app streaming option will be visible as a part of the Phone Hub in the bottom right corner of the ChromeOS taskbar. At the bottom of the section, there is a new “Recent apps” section that gives you quick access to the apps you’ve most recently used on your phone. Tapping on any of them transforms the Phone Hub into a window displaying the app in question right from your phone. There is also an “all apps” shortcut that, as the name suggests, gives you access to any app installed on your phone, though right now, it’s just an alphabetical list that you can’t search through.
Mishaal Rahman further confirms that tapping a mirrored notification from your phone on your Chromebook will directly open the app in question from your phone on your Chromebook. He also makes clear that a few apps aren’t compatible with streaming, including some banking and medical apps, most launchers, Google Camera, Android Auto, and PS Remote Play. For some of these, this might be due to security measures preventing you from screenshotting or screen recording the contents of the app, which also blocks screen mirroring.
When streaming, audio will also play through your Chromebook’s speakers rather than your phone’s. The same is true for apps that need access to your microphone, like when you want to send a voice message. When used while streaming, it will use your Chromebook’s microphones. Mishaal Rahman also says that there is surprisingly little latency with video streaming. It’s even possible to launch multiple apps at once, though you need to activate the hacky and experimental desktop mode on your phone to do that.
If you’re curious about the technical background of this feature, Mishaal Rahman explains that your phone essentially creates a virtual secondary display that takes care of the streaming. On a Pixel 6a, that’s a 1108x2012 display by default.
Mishaal Rahman was also able to pull up a list of phones that currently support app streaming, which consists of all Pixel phones, theAsus Zenfone 9, theNothing Phone 1, the Oppo Find N2 Flip and the A78 5G, and a small selection of Xiaomi phones. We presume that the feature will roll out to more devices in the future. Right now, a bug prevents this from working onAndroid 14Developer Previews, so this is only something you can attempt to get running on a device with any Android 13 release.
Having the right phone and Android version isn’t the only prerequisite, though. Mishaal Rahman explains that you need to update the Cross-Device Services app on Google Play, which should be easily available as an update in your “My apps” section. The bigger roadblock is the fact that your phone must be opted into the feature via a server-side flip controlled by Google, which has yet to be turned on for most people. you’re able to still try your luck by opening settings on your Chromebook, heading toConnected devices,and then selecting your Android phone. If you can see anApps (Beta)section, you can enable app streaming, which you need to confirm via a pop-up on your phone.
Android Police was initially among the first publications to spot Google working on app streaming as early as June 2021. Google then first teased the feature during Google I/O 2022, only to reiterate its commitment to it during CES 2023. After this long two-year wait, app streaming is finally starting to go live.
