Tidal has announced that it supports Google Chromecast in the new update with an integrated 'Cast' option of Tidal for iOS and Android in July, 2016. That's to say, Tidal subscribers is able to stream Tidal to Google Chromecast dongle for listening.
With the Tidal Chromecast integration, Tidal users can't wait for playing Tidal music on Chromecast. However, it also comes with more and more questioning after tried, such as does Tidal work with Chromecast really as I can't get Chrome Cast to work? Whether Chromecast work on Tidal MQA streaming with the Tidal app? etc.
There is no doubt that the answer could be absolutely positive when it comes to 'Tidal on Chromecast' issue. Therefore, how to make Tidal music streaming on Chromecast? Here, I will share the successful experience with you, including two ways on streaming Tidal audio to Chromecast including the official way and using a powerful Tidal downloader in this article.
Part 1. How to Cast Tidal Music to Chromecast via Google Cast
Fix Tidal Chromecast Support Preoblem
Before giving the complete tutorial on how to cast Tidal to Chromecast, let's get started from troubleshooting of Tidal Chromecast support.
Q1: I can play the first Tidal song on Chromecast but then it stops. The process bar displays it keeps going. When clicking the next or previous buttons, there is nothing happened still. By the way, I can cast local audio tracks and cast it.
A1: To avoid Tidal Chromecast integration not working, obviously, Chromecast support shouldn't be too far away. Besides, please make sure whether other music streams can work well with Chromecast. If yes, please try to uninstall and reinstall Tidal app to see whether it works.
Q2: Whether I can stream Tidal MQA music with 24 bits / 96 kHz as Chromecast Audio bitrate and sample rate? I have tried to make this happen, but failed.
A2: First of all, it's important to be noted that only Tidal app can play Hi-res songs with Tidal Hi-Fi subscription. Since the Chromecast is not running Tidal app, the Tidal streams encoded with AAC and 16 bits / 44 kHz are available to Chromecast devices. So it is not athe bottleneck for enjoying Tidal with satisfactory Chromecast audio quality.
Cast Tidal to Chromecast with Google Cast
When all doubts were lifted, you can follow the below steps to stream Tidal with Chromecast from mobile devices for playback with ease.
Step 1. Please connect your mobile devices and Chromecast under the same WiFi network.
Step 2. Open the Tidal app and play a Tidal music. And then tap on the 'Now Playing' bar, there will be a small icon with the speaker on it.
Step 3. Just click the 'speaker' button from the lower left corner of the screen. And then select the Chromecast device as the target device.
Step 4. When Chromecast connected to Tidal app on mobile devices, the music content will play on Chromecast.
Note: There is no desktop app integration with 'Cast' currently. If you are using a Mac or Windows computer, please use the Chrome browser to navigate to listen.tidal.com (Tidal web player).
Part 2. Alternative Way - Play Tidal Music on Chromecast
If you still have trouble in casting Tidal music to Chromecast after referring to the previous tutorial and solutions, you are recommended to use the alternative way, transferring Tidal music to YouTbe Music or Plex and then play them on Chromecast from local music folder.
To do this and block Tidal Chromecast issues, the first thing you need to do is to use AudFree Tidal Music Downloader to download and convert Tidal music to MP3, FLAC, WAV or other Chromecast compatible audio files. This tool will download and save Tidal songs as local files so that you can easily upload them to YouTube Music and Plex. Beside, please don't worry about the output audio quality as it can keep nearly lossless audio quality with all ID3 tags preserved.
Now, the following is the step-by-step tutorial on how to use Tidal on Chromecast Audio with the help of AudFree Tidal Music Converterer. Please install the free trial version of this tool on your Mac or Windows computer in advance. It's worth mentioning that you need to purchase the full version to unlock the conversion-time limitation.
Download Tidal Music and Playlists Offline for Chromecast Audio
- Step 1Load Tidal songs to AudFree Tidal Chromecast Converter
- To upload Tidal songs that you will play on Chromecast to AudFree Tidal Music Converter, you can discover them on opening Tidal app and click the 'three-dot' icon to choose 'Share' > 'Copy Playlist Link' to copy Tidal music link. Now you can paste it to the search box of AudFree Tidable's and simply press the '+' button to add them.
- Step 2Customize Tidal Audio Output Format and Parameters for Chromecast
- To get high-quality local Tidal streams, Chrome Audio-supported lossless FLAC and WAV are primary output format you can define as. Just hit on the top menu bar and click the 'Preferences' from the drop-down list. Now in the 'Convert' option, you can start to customize output format, sample rate, audio channel, bit rate, conversion speed, etc. Besides, when you choose FLAC or WAV to download Tidal MQA or other lossless audio, you can adjust 'Bit Depth' as 16 bit or 24 bit as you need.
- Step 3Download and Convert Tidal for Casting on Chromecast
- When all setting are ready, you can click the big 'Convert' button at the main interface to launch conversion process. You can see the real-time converting process in this window. Wait several seconds, you can make it to download music from Tidal at a fast speed. After conversion, please click the 'history' > 'Search' icon to locate all plain Tidal files.
Play Converted Tidal HiFi/MQA Master Music on Chromecast/Chromecast Audio
To play Tidal HiFi, Hi-res or MQA Master music on smart speakers or TVs from Chromecast, there are two methods you can choose, respectively uploading converted Tidal songs to YouTube Music or to Plex. Here are the simple guide below:
Stream Tidal to Chromecast via YouTube Music
Navigate to music.youtube.com and tap on the top-left 'profile photo'. From the drop-down menu, select 'Upload music'. Then Finder or Windows Explorer will launch automatically. Choose the converted Tidal music from them and then hit the 'Open' button. Afterward, play one of the uploaded music on YouTube music and click on the 'Cast' button to select the Chromecast device you want. After that, you can also cast Tidal to smart TVs and Android or iOS devices via YouTube Music to Chromecast without any problem.
Stream Tidal to Chromecast via Plex
Plex is a media server, which is available for both Windows OS, macOS, Android and iOS devices. You can download Plex Media Player on your computer and login your Plex account. After that, please click the 'Add Library' > 'Music' > 'Browse from media folder' to add Tidal songs to Plex. Now, there is a 'Cast' button in the Plex app and it will let you stream Tidal songs to Chromecast for playing.
Part 3. More FAQs About Chromecast & Tidal
Q1. Tidal Connect VS Chromecast: Is Tidal Connect better than Chromecast?
A1: Tidal Connect serves as a wireless way to stream the catalogue of Tidal on other compatible players or devices directly from Tidal's servers. In terms of better sound quality, Tidal Connect does well. It features in playing Dolby Atmos, MQA Master audio on other devices, which Chromecast cannot.
Chromcast can also wirelessly stream Tidal Music but in Hi-res sound quality compared with Tidal Connect. And Chromecast cannot play Tidal Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio directly. However, you need to prepare an extra third-part player or streamer to play Tidal Music.
Q2. What bit rate does Chromecast use for Tidal?
A2: Chromecast provides the max bitrate of 24-bit/96kHz on Chromecast.
Q3. Cannot cast Tidal Master quality to Chromecast Audio. How to fix it?
A3: Chromecast Audio cannot offer 24-bit/192kHz Hi-res audio while casting Tidal to Chromecast Audio on PC, Androids, or iPhone without a Tidal HiFi Plus account. So to enjoy the lossless Tidal Master quality, you have to use Tidal Connect with Tidal HiFi Plus subscription or apply the third-party tool AudFree Tidal Music Converter to download and keep the original Tidal Master audio forever.
Q4. Is Chromecast or Chromecast Audio better to cast Tidal?
A4: Here is a comparison chart for you to overlook the differences between Chromecast and Chromecast Audio. Please check out now.
| Chromecast | Chromecast Audio | |
|---|---|---|
| Design | With a HDMI output interface | With 3 audio cables: 3.5mm stereo cable 3.5mm to RCA cable for analogue output Mini TOSLINK to TOSLINK optical cable |
| Support Output | ✔ | ✔ |
| Support Input | ✔ | ❌ |
Own Digital-to-Analogue Converter |
❌ | ✔ |
| Sound Quality | Versatile and depend on the device connected to Chromecast | 24-bit/192kHz Hi-res |
Inside Storage |
4GB | 2GB |
In brief, providing that you want to enjoy higher-quality audio, Chromecast Audio is a better choice for you.
Part 4. In Conclusion
After reading this article, you are certain to find the best soltion to stream Tidal to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio now. That is to use the gadget - AudFree Tidal Music Converter. This tool helps you download 100% orginal Tidal HiFi, Hi-res or Master music to Chromecast-supported formats and keep the local files forever. With this program, you can listen to Tidal music on Chromecast or any device and player you want directly with Tidal ads blocked. Give it a shot!
Miley Swift
Staff Editor
