With 20,000+ movies and TV shows in its library, Amazon Prime Video is one of the leaders in the streaming service industry. It even produces critically acclaimed originals such as Good Omens, Hunters, The Boys, and The Man in The High Castle, to name a few. Our Amazon Prime Video review details everything else the service offers, so make sure to check it out.
Another good thing about the service is that you can watch it on a wide range of devices. And if you want to watch it on the big screen, you can even get the Prime Video app on an extensive range of smart TVs. Read more about these compatible models in our Prime Video supported devices guide.
But even if your TV doesn’t work with the Prime Video app, you can always find a workaround with casting devices such as Chromecast. This post gives you a detailed guide on Chromecast Prime Video streaming and what you need to access it. We guide you through the step-by-step process so you can figure out how to watch Amazon Prime Video on Chromecast.
What is a Chromecast?
A Chromecast is a dongle that connects to your TV and lets you stream movies and shows online on the big screen. But it’s different from streaming media players like Roku and Fire TV in that it doesn’t let you stream videos directly on the dongle. Instead, it connects to your home network and lets you display what’s on your browser, phone, or tablet to your TV.
Rather than having streaming apps of its own, it takes what’s playing on an app on one device and displays it to the TV. That means it acts as an intermediary connecting two other devices together. It’s not exactly a streaming media player since it can’t stream content on its own.
How to get Amazon Prime Video on Chromecast
To access the Chromecast Amazon Prime Video streaming, you first need a subscription to the service. You can either get the regular Amazon Prime subscription for $12.99/mo. or $119/yr. This comes with additional shopping benefits along with access to Prime Video and Amazon Music. If you don’t want these additional benefits, you can also get a standalone Prime Video subscription for $8.99/mo. Learn more about these plans in our Prime Video packages and pricing guide.
It’s important to remember that Chromecast works a bit differently from regular streaming media players such as Roku and Fire TV devices. So you won’t get a separate Chromecast Prime Video app to directly play Prime Video content on your Chromecast device.
Instead of running the service app itself, Chromecast acts as an intermediary by letting you display what’s playing on your phone or tablet to your TV screen. That means the process to watch Amazon Prime Video on Chromecast is a little different too.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Sign up for an Amazon Prime Video subscription through the website. Just choose the plan you want to get and enter your email address. You’ll also need to create a password and provide your payment info. The good news is you won’t have to pay for the first month of your subscription since Prime Video comes with a 30-day free trial. Learn more about how this works in our Amazon Prime Video free trial guide.
- Download the Prime Video app on the device you’re casting from. This could be your phone or tablet, but you can even cast from the browser on your computer. Make sure that the Chromecast device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the device you’re casting from.
- Select the movie or show you want to watch on the app.
- Tap on the casting icon on the top right-hand corner of the screen. This looks like a small square with three concave lines at the bottom.
- Select Chromecast from the list of device options, and your TV will start displaying what’s on your browser, phone, or tablet.
Can you watch Amazon Prime Video on older Chromecast models?
Amazon Prime Video works on all Chromecast models, so you’ll have no trouble casting to an older generation device. But keep in mind that older generations of Chromecast may deliver slower performance, which may not be ideal for your streaming experience. So it’s best if you can get the latest generation of Chromecast devices since they come with hardware upgrades.
And if you want to stream 4K titles in 4K, you’ll need the Chromecast Ultra and a compatible display. Although this option costs a bit more, it comes with 4K streaming and several premium features that our Chromecast Ultra review explains in detail.
If you’re not sure which Chromecast model to invest in, you can also check out our Chromecast vs. Chromecast Ultra comparison to find out. This comparison will help you figure out the biggest differences between the two and what sacrifices you’ll have to make for each option.
How to download Amazon Prime Video content on Chromecast
Amazon Prime Video lets you download titles from its library and watch them offline on the same device where you downloaded it. The service will keep the downloaded videos for up to 30 days, but once you start playing a video, you’ll have to finish watching it within 48 hours. This option comes in handy if you ever have to travel or go on a camping trip where you don’t get reliable connectivity.
Prime Video’s download feature currently works with Fire tablets and the Prime Video app for Android, iOS, or Windows 10 devices. Unfortunately for those who want to watch Prime Video content offline on Chromecast, the service doesn’t support that option. The same is true for Airplay, Apple’s version of casting between iOS devices.
Additionally, other streaming services don’t support playback of downloaded content over Chromecast either, even if they allow offline viewing on devices such as Fire TV and Roku. This is mainly because Chromecast acts as an intermediary between the playback and the display devices instead of streaming the content directly through its own app.
Streaming Amazon Prime content on Chromecast
Chromecast lets you stream Amazon Prime content in either HD (high definition) or 4K depending on which Chromecast device you have and which titles you want to watch.
Amazon Prime offers a handful of titles in 4K. But to watch these in 4K, you’ll need the Chromecast Ultra and a TV that supports 4K streaming. If you try to watch these 4K titles with a regular Chromecast, you’ll only be able to access an HD stream. And if you try to watch non-4K titles using the Chromecast Ultra, you’ll still only get an HD stream.
Types of content
You can use your Chromecast to stream a wide variety of Amazon Prime content. This includes blockbuster movies like Con Air, Daredevil, Elektra, Fright Night, Gone in 60 Seconds, Hitman, Inception, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, There’s Something About Mary, and more.
You can also find a decent selection of unscripted shows in the Prime Video library such as Hoarders, Pawn Stars, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Top Gear to name a few. And the documentary lineup is equally impressive, featuring titles like Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Missing 411: The Hunted, Nostradamus: Future Tense, Steve Jobs: The Man In the Machine, and more.
Besides these, you can also find movies and shows spanning across categories like anime, comedy, drama, faith and spirituality, foreign, military and war, science fiction, sports, and many more. But the most impressive is the lineup of hit movies and shows that are original to Amazon Prime.
Among the Prime original shows, you can binge on popular titles like Bosch, Fleabag, Good Omens, Hanna, Hunters, The Boys, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Or you can enjoy hit new movies like Black Box, Borat: Subsequent Movie Film, Chemical Hearts, My Spy, Nocturne, Time, and more.
Amazon Prime also comes up with recommendations based on certain occasions. For instance, during Native American Heritage Month in November, it’ll have a lineup of recommendations to “Celebrate Native American heritage.” So these suggestions are worth a try.
The final cut
Watching Prime Video on Chromecast isn’t as seamless as accessing it from regular streaming media players. But it’s still a good workaround in case you don’t have a streaming device or a TV that supports the Prime Video app. Instead of directly watching the service from a Chromecast Prime Video app, you display what’s on your phone or tablet to your TV using a Chromecast device.
So you should consider this option only if you have an existing Chromecast device and you want to use it to watch Prime Video. But if you’re planning on buying a new streaming device for watching Prime Video, it might be better to invest in Fire TV or Roku players.