By Klaus Jakobsen, developer of A Decent Remote “Chromecast remote” means two completely different things depending on which device is behind the TV, so sort that first:
- Chromecast with Google TV (2020 onward, came with a remote, has a home screen): it’s an Android TV device. If the remote is lost, the Android TV guide applies. PIN on screen, one-minute fix.
- Cast-only Chromecast (the older dongles, no remote in the box): there was never a remote to lose. Your phone has always been the remote, but iPhones lack the system-level cast volume controls Android phones get, which is where a remote app earns its keep.
What can an iPhone control on a cast-only Chromecast?
Connection is instant; cast devices accept local commands with no pairing whatsoever. From A Decent Remote you get:
- Volume and mute: the big one on iOS, where the hardware volume buttons don’t touch a Chromecast the way they do on Android.
- Play, pause and seek in whatever is currently casting, regardless of which app started it.
- Launching streaming apps on the device.
What no app can give a cast-only dongle: menu navigation. There’s no interface to navigate. Content selection happens inside Netflix/YouTube/etc. on your phone, which then hands playback to the Chromecast. That’s the design, not a limitation of any particular remote app.
When is a Chromecast remote app actually useful?
The scenario that sells this: something is casting, the phone that started it is in someone else’s pocket (or the kid cast YouTube and left), and you just want the volume down now. Any phone in the house with a remote app can grab the session (no pairing, remember) and adjust volume or pause playback immediately.
What are the other options for a Chromecast?
The Google Home app can technically adjust Chromecast volume, buried a few taps deep in a smart-home dashboard. A Decent Remote puts volume, mute, playback and app launching one tap from launch, with no pairing step at all, and controls the Roku, Samsung, LG, Apple TV and everything else in the house from the same screen, including the lost-remote rescues documented across these guides.