Your TV runs Google TV or Android TV
Telebeam installs on the TV, so there’s no box to add. On a Chromecast with Google TV or a Google TV Streamer, any TV it’s plugged into works.
Comparison · Updated November 2026
Connect a Mac to an Android TV: four ways, compared.
An HDMI cable, casting from Chrome, an Apple TV, or an app on the TV that puts it in the Mac’s own Screen Mirroring. What each one needs, and when each one is the right pick.
For Google TV and Android TV · 7-day free trial · No ads · Open source (GPL-3.0)
The four ways side by side
A short, fair comparison. We make Telebeam, so the other ways are described only by what they need and how they work.
| HDMI cable | Cast from Chrome | Apple TV | Telebeam | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cable from the Mac to the TV. | The Cast option in Google Chrome on the Mac, sending to a Google TV. | Apple’s box, plugged into the TV. | An app on the Google TV or Android TV. |
| What else you need | Many Macs need a USB-C to HDMI adapter. | Google Chrome on the Mac. | The box and its remote. | Nothing on the Mac, no account. A TV with Google TV or Android TV, or a Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer or Nvidia Shield plugged into it. |
| Cable or wireless | Cable: the Mac sits where the cable reaches. | Wireless. | Wireless. | Wireless: Mac and TV on the same Wi-Fi. |
| How you start it | Plug it in. | Chrome’s Cast option: a tab or your screen. | Control Center → Screen Mirroring. | Control Center → Screen Mirroring: the TV itself is in the list. |
| Keep in mind | Reliable and cheap if the Mac sits next to the TV. | It runs inside Chrome, not the Mac’s own Screen Mirroring. | Works well, but it’s another box and another remote. | Protected video shows black. Tested on a Philips Google TV so far. |
When Telebeam fits
You want the Mac’s own Screen Mirroring
Pick the TV in Control Center: mirror the whole Mac with sound, or use the TV as a second display. iPhone and iPad work too.
Up to 4K
Auto uses 1080p at 60 fps, the smoothest a Mac sends today. 4K is there too, marked Beta. A 120 fps setting exists for testing, but so far Macs send at most 60 fps.
Stays on your home network
The picture and sound go straight from your Mac to your TV. No ads, no tracking, and the code is open source (GPL-3.0).
When another way fits better
- The Mac sits next to the TV. An HDMI cable is reliable and cheap.
- No shared Wi-Fi. Guest, hotel and many office or school networks keep devices from seeing each other; a cable doesn’t need the network.
- An older Chromecast without a remote. It has no app store, so Telebeam can’t be installed on it.
- The TV doesn’t run Google TV or Android TV. Telebeam can’t be installed on it; a Chromecast with Google TV or Google TV Streamer plugged into the TV can run it instead.
- The TV is already in the Mac’s list. Some TVs have a receiver built in. Check Control Center → Screen Mirroring first; then you may not need Telebeam.
- An Apple TV is already on that TV. It does the job; Telebeam is for TVs without one.
Step by step for the wireless way: Mirror a Mac to Google TV.
Questions people ask
How do I connect my Mac to an Android TV?
With an HDMI cable if the Mac sits next to the TV. Wirelessly, install Telebeam on the TV and pick it in Control Center → Screen Mirroring on the Mac. Casting from Chrome and an Apple TV are the other ways.
Is an HDMI cable better than wireless?
A cable is reliable and cheap if the Mac sits next to the TV; many Macs need a USB-C to HDMI adapter. With Telebeam, the Mac can stay where you are, as long as Mac and TV are on the same Wi-Fi.
Can I mirror a Mac to a Chromecast?
To a Chromecast with Google TV, yes: Telebeam installs on it, and it appears in the Mac’s Screen Mirroring. An older Chromecast without a remote has no app store, so Telebeam can’t be installed on it.
Is casting from Chrome the same as Screen Mirroring?
No. Chrome’s Cast option sends a tab or your screen from inside Chrome. Telebeam puts the TV in the Mac’s own Screen Mirroring, so you can mirror the whole Mac or use the TV as a second display.
What does Telebeam cost?
Start with a 7-day free trial on the Monthly plan, or buy Lifetime once and keep it. Google Play shows the price in your local currency before you buy.
More Telebeam guides
Try the wireless way
Install Telebeam on your Google TV or Android TV, then pick it in Screen Mirroring.
Chromecast and Google Chrome are trademarks of Google LLC. Apple TV is a trademark of Apple Inc. HDMI is a trademark of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. Telebeam is not affiliated with these companies.