Questions
Including the answers that do not flatter the product. You should know what it cannot do before you install it, not after you have paid.
Compatibility
- Which televisions does Vistacast work with?
- Fire TV devices, Google TV devices and Android TV devices, as long as they run Android 6.0 or later, which in practice means anything from 2015 onward. That covers the Fire TV Stick and Cube, Chromecast with Google TV, Sony Bravia, Hisense, TCL, Sharp AQUOS, Philips, Nvidia Shield and Android TV boxes generally.
- Does it work with Samsung or LG televisions?
- No. Samsung televisions run Tizen and LG televisions run webOS, and neither allows the kind of receiver app Vistacast needs. There is no workaround. If you have one of these, a Fire TV Stick or similar device plugged into it would work.
- Does it work with an Apple TV?
- Vistacast does not support Apple TV, and does not need to: an Apple TV already accepts an iPhone screen through the mechanism Apple builds in. Vistacast exists for the televisions that have no such mechanism.
- Does it work on iPad?
- The app is built for iPhone. It will install on an iPad in compatibility mode, but there is no iPad interface and we do not market it as an iPad app.
- Do I need an internet connection?
- Only to download the apps. After that, mirroring runs entirely on your local network. If your internet connection went down, mirroring would keep working.
What it does and does not do
- Can I mirror Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video?
- No. Those apps use copy protection that iOS enforces at the operating-system level, below where any third-party app runs. No screen-mirroring app on iOS can mirror them. Everything else on your screen mirrors normally.
- Does the sound come across?
- Yes. System audio is captured and sent alongside the picture. It plays on the iPhone and the television at the same time, which cannot be changed from inside the app. The microphone is never used and never requested.
- Can I lock my phone while it mirrors?
- No. iOS shuts down screen recording when the phone locks, ending the session. This affects every app built on this interface, not only Vistacast.
- Can I mirror to more than one television at once?
- No. One receiver at a time.
Privacy and cost
- Do I need an account?
- No. There is no sign-up, no login and no account of any kind, because there is no server to hold one.
- Does Vistacast collect data about me?
- The apps do not. No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs, and nothing shared with anyone. Your screen goes directly from the phone to the television. This website counts page views with a cookieless analytics service that cannot identify you, and the privacy policy describes both.
- What does it cost?
- The television app is free permanently, with no advertising and nothing to buy. The iPhone app is free for ten minutes of streaming a day. Pro removes that limit for $2.99 a month, $14.99 a year, or $24.99 as a one-time purchase.
- Is the free tier a trial?
- No. It does not expire and it does not need a card. Ten minutes a day, every day, with every feature Pro has.
Question not here?
The setup guide covers what to do when something will not connect, and support reaches a real person.