We no longer turn our TVs off except for overnight. The rest of the time, if we're not watching a show, they are displaying our chosen Google Photos albums. We just love that our house is filled with our travel photos, especially in this time of the CoronaVirus when we're stuck at home.
What you need
You don't need a fancy TV, any TV with an HDMI port will do.
 |
| The Chromecast device costs about $35 |
- Good household WiFi
- Chromecast device ($35) plugged into HDMI port of any TV
- Google Photos Account
- Google Home app
How to set it up
When you bring your Chromecast device home from the store you just plug it into an HDMI port on your TV. You will also plug in the other cable into the TV's USB port, or use the electric plug to plug it into a wall outlet. The Chromecast device needs to get power either from the USB or from the wall outlet.
 |
| Google Home is a free app for Apple or Android |
- Once you have it plugged in and the TV turned on, you will see onscreen instructions.
- Both the TV/Chromecast device and your phone with the Google Home app must be connected to the same WiFi network.
- Once you've completed the onscreen instructions, you should see your TV listed in your Google Home App, let's say you named it "Living Room TV"
- Select "Living Room TV" in your Google Home app on the phone, and then tap on "Personalize Ambient"
- On the Ambient mode screen choose Google Photos, then select whatever albums you want used as your 'screensaver.'
If you have an Android phone, you can also open the Google Photos app, tap the 3-line menu, and choose Photo Frames. Choose "Living Room TV." Whatever albums you select here will be displayed on the TV whenever it is set to the proper HDMI port and nothing else is being cast.
Chris Guld is President and Teacher-in-Chief at GeeksOnTour.com. She has been in computer training and support since 1983. She is now a Product Expert for the Google Photos Forum, owner of the LearnGooglePhotos.com blog, and author of Mrs. Geek's Guide to Google Photos.
She loves to teach! If you want to learn, you’ve come to the right place.
