Imagine this. You’re
meeting with an important client. They’re very interested in your product. And,
you’ve got the perfect Google Slides presentation that’ll answer all their
questions. It’s too bad you didn’t bring any equipment to make your
presentation with.
Or did you?
If you’ve got the
right app and/or a simple device you can use your smart phone like a remote
control. This allows you to give your Google Slides presentation on a TV or monitor. You’ll
also need access to WiFi.
Whether you make
presentations as part of your job or just occasionally, knowing how to run a
presentation from your phone can come in handy for unexpected situations. You
never know when the equipment for a planned presentation won’t work properly.
Using your phone or other smart device as a remote to run your presentation
makes a good backup plan.
In this tutorial,
you’ll learn the basics about making a Google Slides presentation remotely with
your smart device. We’ll show you how to use the Google Slides app to run your
Google Slides presentation from your iPhone or iPad with an Apple TV using
Apple’s AirPlay mirroring feature. We’ll also discuss Google’s Chromecast
feature for Android devices and explain how it works.
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Now let’s learn all about running Google Slides presentations remotely using your phone or smart device.
Use Your iOS Device
to Run Google Slides Remotely
If you’ve got access to an Apple TV, the Google Slides app
lets you show your Google Slides presentation from your iOS device. Use Apple
TV’s AirPlay Mirroring feature to
show the presentation slides on your Apple TV.
Step 1
Start by downloading the Google Slides App from the Apple
Store onto your iPad or iPhone. Click the Get
button on the Apple Store screen to start the download process:
Step 2
Click the Install
button. Next, click the Open button
to open the Google Slides app on your iOS device:
Step 3
Click the Sign-In
button in the lower left corner to sign in to your Google account.
Note: If you’ve not used your Google account on this device
before you may receive a security notification in your Gmail account.
Google Slides opens on your iPad or iPhone with thumbnails
of some of the most recent presentations showing:
Click on the presentation you wish to open. Your Google
Slides presentation opens on your device:
For this tutorial, we’re using a presentation based on the
popular Everland
Google Slides theme from GraphicRiver.
To discover more great Google Slides themes and templates available
through GraphicRiver, check out this featured article:
Step 4
Once your presentation is open, use your Apple TV remote
to turn on your Apple TV. Swipe up on your iPad or iPhone screen from the
bottom to see the AirPlay Mirroring
option:
Step 5
Click the AirPlay
Mirroring button on the bottom left. A pop-up menu appears. Select the Apple TV option from the pop-up menu.
Your presentation is now visible on the Apple TV screen, however, it does not
take up the whole TV screen—at least not yet.
Step 6
To get your presentation to take up the whole screen on
your Apple TV, click the right arrow icon on the menu on the upper left of the
presentation screen on your iOS device:
A drop-down menu appears. Select the Present to external display option. Your Google Slides presentation
now fills the screen on your Apple TV.
Step 7
Use the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen on your
iOS device to move through the presentation. You can also use the Google Slides
Speaker Notes or the Q&A features during your
presentation. For more information on the Google Slides Q&A and Speaker Notes
features, study the following Envato Tuts+ tutorials:
- 14+ (Quick) Professional Tips to Using Google Slides Better.
- How to Present Your Google Slides Slideshow Presentation.
Step 8
When you’re done showing your presentation, turn off AirPlay Mirroring. Swipe up on the
screen of iOS device:
Click the Apple TV
button. From the pop-up menu, select the Turn
Off AirPlay Mirroring option. Your presentation is no longer visible on your Apple TV.
Use Your Android
Device to Run Google Slides Remotely
If you’ve got an
Android table or smart phone, you can also use your device to make your Google
Slides presentation. You’ll need a Chromecast device and a WiFi connection.
A Chromecast device is
a piece of hardware from Google that allows you to stream content from your computer
or smart device to your TV. It plugs into your TV’s HDMI port using a connector
cable.
The most common use of
Chromecast devices is to play content from services like Netflix or Hulu. The screen
mirroring feature is what allows you to show your Google Slides presentation on
a TV. Casting only works on a device running Android 4.4.2 or later. The Android device also has to be
optimized for Chromecast. Google has provided a list of supported devices here.
Unfortunately I don’t
own a Chromecast device, so I can’t provide screenshots. But here’s what you
need to know about how the casting process works:
Step 1
Once you’ve got your Chromecast
device, connect it to your TV. How you connect the device varies depending on
which type of Chromecast device you are using. For detailed instructions
on how to connect your particular Chromecast device to your TV, review Google’s
instructions. You’ll also need to
set up a password for your Chromecast device and name the device.
Step 2
Make sure that you’ve
got the Google Slides app installed on your Android device. If you don’t already
have the app, download it from the Google Store. Your TV and your smart device
or laptop should be connected to the same WiFi network for you to use
the Chromecast device. Plus, the microphone of your Android device must be turned on in Google Play
Services section of your Android settings or you won’t be able to mirror your
device screen.
Step 3
Once everything is properly
set up, open the Google Slides app on your Android device. Choose the
presentation you want to make. Click the Present option on your Google
Slides presentation.
A drop-down menu displays. Select the Present on
another screen option from the drop-down menu. Choose your Chromecast
device from the list. You can now display your presentation on the TV that is connected to the Chromecast device.
When you’re done making
your Google Slides presentation, simply stop casting the screen to the TV.
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Conclusion
Don’t ever be caught
without access to a vital business presentation ever again. Use the right tools
and you can run your Google Slides presentation using your smart phone or other
smart device as a remote, as long as you are connected to WiFi.
Apple AirPlay’s Mirroring
feature and Google’s Chromecast device are good backup options to make sure
that you can give a Google Slide presentation whenever you need to.
Whether making Google Slides presentations is part of your
job or just something you do once in a while, it’s a good idea to learn how to
give your presentation using a smart device.
Learn more about how to use Google Slides in these tutorials:
PresentationsHow to Use Google Slides (Quick Start Guide)- Google SlidesHow to Add YouTube Video to Google Slides Presentations
- Google Slides17+ Cool Google Slides Themes (To Make Presentations in 2017)
Also, be sure to practice using your
smart device as a remote to make your presentation before you have to depend on
using it for an important meeting. By practicing, you’ll know exactly what to do and how to do it when
the time comes to make your presentation live.
Do you use your smart device as a remote to make Google
presentations? If so, share your tips in the comments below.
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