The Chromecast with Google TV mixes the concepts of Chromecast dongles and Android TV devices. This means that they have both ‘Ambient Mode’ and screen protectors. We will show you how to use both, what to dig.
In order to merge Chromecast and Android TV, Google has moved a lot of things around. However, Google TV is built on Android TV, and all Android TV settings are still available. One example of this is the screen saver.
RELATED: What is the difference between Google TV and Android TV?
The Chromecast with Google TV’s screensaver is called ‘Ambient Mode’ and joins the setup process that takes place in the Google Home app. Environment mode can be a slideshow of Google Photos or an art gallery.
Google TV is still the core of Android TV, so you can install third-party screen protectors in the Google Play Store. However, Google has hidden the possibility to change the screen saver on the Chromecast with Google TV. We can still do it, but the method is indirect.
Let’s adjust the easier environment mode settings before diving into third-party screen protectors. Select your profile icon in the top right corner of the home screen.
Then select “Settings” from the pop-up menu.
Scroll down and select ‘System’.
Finally, select ‘Environment Mode’.
Here are three options: Google Photos, Art Gallery, and Experimental. Choose one to use it.
- Google Photos: It must be set up via the Google Home app. Read our guide on how to do this.
- Art Gallery: Different categories with different types of photography.
- Experimental: Enable “Low Bandwidth Mode” to save data.
That’s all there is to changing the Environment mode, but here things get a little complicated. ‘Ambient Mode’ is actually just one of the possible screen savers you can use.
The ability to download a third-party screensaver is still available on Google TV – you simply cannot do that in the Settings menu. You need to open the screen saver settings from the app you want to use.
RELATED: How to install apps and games on Google TV
First we need to install a screen saver app. Installing an app on a Google TV device is not as simple as opening the Play Store. Read our program installation guide and use ‘screen saver’ as your search term.
Then open the app. This is where the process will be different depending on the screen saver app you want to use. What we are looking for is an option to set the app as screen saver. Here are some examples of some screen savers.
And you will see that some programs use the term “Daydream”, which was the old term for screen saver. Also watch out for that.
Whatever setting is checked, if you select it, you need to go to the Ambient Mode screen.
We can now see that “Environment Mode” is merely a screen saver enabled by default. Select “Screen Saver” to continue.
Now you can choose the screen saver app of your choice. By making the selection, the screen saver settings for that app can be opened.
Finally, you can decide how many minutes of inactivity you should allow before turning on the screen saver. Select “When to start.”
Select one of the time increases.
It’s weird that Google has hidden the screen saver options, but at least it’s still possible to use them.
RELATED: How to use Google Photos as screen saver on Google TV