○ IN BRIEF
- Kodi is an open source media streaming app available for all platforms.
- You can use the app on Android phones, tablets, or streaming devices to access your favourite content.
- The app is free and easy to set up.
Kodi is the incredibly popular open source media streaming service that runs on Android phones and boxes, as well as pretty much every other platform. By installing Kodi on an Android device you can even create your own ad hoc Android TV system.
But the one major feature that Kodi lacks is Chromecast support. You can use screen mirroring as a workaround, but this is not an ideal solution in the long run as it tends to be quite laggy.
The only dedicated Android app to provide Chromecast support is KodiCast. This is a paid app without a trial version, so there’s no way to test whether it will work for you (it isn’t in the Play Store either).
But don’t worry.
As with all things Android a solution is available if you’re willing to do a little bit work to get it set up. The process in this instance isn’t too difficult. It requires a few different apps, and requires you to paste a customised xml file into the Kodi system.
So long as you follow the instructions you should be able to do it even if you aren’t a particularly techie person. Once done, all Kodi videos will play by default in the LocalCast app, which you can then connect to Chromecast.
The apps you need
To get started you need to download a few different apps. Get Kodi, ES File Explorer and LocalCast from the Play Store. All three of the apps are available in free versions, which will be good enough here.
Now launch Kodi on your device and work your way through the setup process to add your chosen video channels and other content.
When you’ve done that, exit the app and close it down completely.
Set up Kodi and Chromecast
Next you need to download a file called coreplayerfactory.xml. This file will change the default video player in Kodi to the LocalCast app, which is Chromecast compatible. The file is tiny, so will only take a couple of seconds to download. Save it to your device.
Open ES File Explorer. Slide open the sidebar from the left edge of the screen and choose Settings. Go to Display Settings and tick the option labelled Show hidden files.
Hit the back button and navigate your way to the downloaded xml file. If you downloaded it on your device then it should be saved by default in the Downloads folder.
Tap and hold on the file and select Copy. Navigate your way to the folder Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/userdata/ and paste the xml file into this folder. The .kodi folder is normally hidden, which is why it’s necessary to complete the Show hidden files step outlined above.
Cast from Kodi
You’re virtually home. Relaunch Kodi and play any video of your choosing. If everything is working as it should, the video will now not play in Kodi, but play instead will play in LocalCast.
Now all you need to do is follow the onscreen instructions in LocalCast to connect it to your Chromecast. And that’s it. You can now watch Kodi streams on your TV using Chromecast and an Android phone.