Yes, if the Chromecast runs Google TV. A Chromecast with Google TV, a Google TV Streamer or a TV with Google TV built in installs a signage app from Google Play, and several apps have a free plan. An older cast-only Chromecast cannot install apps, so it is a poor sign.
The catch is control. A Google TV device has no kiosk mode, and no Play Store app can restart it or switch the TV off from a distance.
Which Chromecast do you have?
| Device | Installs a signage app? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chromecast 1st, 2nd, 3rd gen, Ultra (no remote) | No | Shows only what a phone or laptop casts. The sign stops when that device sleeps. |
| Chromecast with Google TV (4K or HD) | Yes, from Google Play | Google no longer sells it on the Google Store. Still gets software updates. |
| Google TV Streamer (4K) | Yes, from Google Play | Google's replacement for Chromecast. $149.99 on the Google Store, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage, Ethernet port. |
| TV with Google TV or Android TV built in | Yes, from Google Play | No extra box. Check the TV's own power and screensaver settings. |
Google stopped making Chromecast in 2024. Its announcement says the Google TV Streamer "replaces Chromecast" (Google blog).
Casting a web page from a laptop is not a sign. It needs the laptop awake and in range all day, and it does not come back after a power cut.
Free signage apps for Google TV
Each of these has an app on Google Play for Google TV:
- Yodeck: 1 screen free. The free plan stops when the account has a second screen.
- Play Digital Signage: first screen free if you leave a review within 30 days.
- AbleSign: free with no screen limit, but 500 MB of storage (about 15 short videos). 100 GB costs $9.99 a month.
- DigitalSignage.com: 3 screens free, 1 GB of storage.
- PosterBooking: 10 screens free, with a watermark on screen.
- Fugo: 1 test screen free, with a watermark.
A free plan suits one or two screens you can walk up to. For more, compare the paid prices in the cheapest digital signage software and the wider free digital signage software list.
How to set up a Google TV device as a sign
- Power it from the wall. Use the adapter in the box, not the TV's USB port, which often turns off with the TV.
- Use Ethernet if you can. The Google TV Streamer has a port. Chromecast with Google TV needs a USB-C Ethernet adapter.
- Sign in with a shared business Google account, not a person's own, so a new manager can still get in.
- Install the signage app from Google Play and pair it, usually with a code the TV shows.
- Allow "Display over other apps" for the signage app (Settings > Apps > Special app access). On Android 10 and later an app cannot bring itself to the front after a restart without it.
- Set Energy saver to its longest time. On Chromecast with Google TV it is Settings > System > Energy saver > Turn off display; on many TVs it sits under Settings > System > Power & energy. Pick Never where it is offered. Google's developer docs say no app can stop Energy saver from turning the display off.
- Unplug it and plug it back in. Check the signage app comes back on its own before you mount the TV.
The screensaver (Ambient mode) cannot be switched off on Google TV (Google help). A signage app keeps it away while the app is in front. If photos appear on the sign, the app has closed.
What works remotely on Google TV, and what does not
Google TV gives apps from Google Play no device-owner rights. That sets the limits for every signage app, free or paid.
Usually works:
- Content, schedules and updates from the web
- Restarting the signage app itself
- Volume and mute
- Memory, storage and network reports
Does not work:
- Restarting the box. Someone has to unplug it.
- Turning the TV off and on over HDMI-CEC. A closing time shows a black screen on a TV that stays on. Use the TV's own off timer.
- Changing Wi-Fi from a distance.
- Locking out other apps. Anyone with the remote can open YouTube.
Screenshots vary by app. Without a permission granted at the TV, an app can capture only its own window, so a playing video can come out black.
Google TV Streamer or a signage stick?
| Google TV Streamer | Walmart onn 4K | Amazon Signage Stick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $149.99 | $39.98 | $99.99 |
| Built for | Home TV | Home TV | Business signage |
| Opens the signage app after a power cut | Only with "Display over other apps" | Only with "Display over other apps" | Yes, kiosk mode |
| Remote restart | No | No | Yes |
| TV on and off over HDMI-CEC | No | No | Yes, on TVs that support it |
| Wired network | Built-in Ethernet | Adapter | Amazon's micro-USB Ethernet Adapter ($14.99) |
Prices are from the Google Store, walmart.com and amazon.com.
Buy the Google TV Streamer for signage only if you need its Ethernet port and one box for home use too. The onn costs about a quarter as much with the same limits (see digital signage on the Walmart onn). For screens you cannot reach, the Amazon Signage Stick costs less than the Streamer and adds remote restart and TV power.
Where Brix fits
Brix runs on Google TV. Install "Brix Digital Signage" from Google Play (Android 6.0 or later), open it, then in the CMS go to Screens > Add screen > Pair a hardware device and type the code the TV shows. On Android 10 and later, Brix asks for "Display over other apps" so it reopens after a power cut.
On Google TV, Brix plays, schedules and updates content, restarts its own app, sets the volume and reports the box's health. It cannot restart the box or switch the TV off, for the reasons above. Its screenshots show video as black unless someone at the TV allows screen capture, and that permission ends when the box restarts.
On the Amazon Signage Stick, Brix does all of that: remote reboot, TV on and off over HDMI-CEC, Wi-Fi and time zone, and portrait rotation with video. Pairing a Signage Stick takes a median of 2.6 minutes in Brix's own fleet.
Brix costs $6 per screen per month billed annually, or $8 billed monthly. There is no free plan. If you want $0 a month on one Google TV screen, a free plan above is the better fit.
Start a free 7-day Brix trial. No card needed.