Nope, it’s not you, casting Disney+ doesn’t work on Vizio TVs

Here’s what’s going on

There’s no Disney+ app in the built-in SmartCast operating system. That’s a shame — especially for those who only use the built-in OS with their Vizio TV without any other sort of streaming device plugged in. And that shouldn’t be (and in fact isn’t quite) the end of the world because all modern Vizio TVs also serve as a target for Chromecast — Google’s (and Android’s) method of getting video from a phone to a TV — and Apple’s AirPlay protocol.

AirPlay works just fine. If you have Disney+ on an iPhone or iPad, you can use it to to get Disney+ onto your Vizio TV without anything else plugged into it.

Chromecast, however, does not work. Try, and you’ll be greeted with an error message.

All’s not lost, though. You can plug in virtually any modern streaming dongle, box or stick and get access to Disney+ — and a lot more than you’ll get natively with SmartCast, now that we think about it — that way. Grab a $29 Roku Express. Or use a $69 Chromecast Ultra. Or how about a $49 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K? It really just depends on what you want to use — they’ll all get you there.

And, by the way, Vizio says it’s expecting a native SmartCast app from Disney+ in 2020.

Disney+ — the short version

Disney+ is a streaming service from, you guessed it, Disney, that finally answers fans cry for a place to finds all their favorite shows from Disney. Disney has hundreds of movies and television, ranging from decades-old classics to recent releases like the live-action Dumbo.

Want to relive your Saturday mornings watching Recess or Gargoyles in front of the TV with some cereal and some cozy blankets? Disney+ has you covered. Want to binge most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in order without spending $500 on Blu-rays? Here’s your best bet.