How to Connect Just Dance Now to Your TV: A Complete Setup Guide
Just Dance Now is one of the most flexible dance games available — you don't need a gaming console, a motion controller, or even a disc. But connecting it to your TV is a step that trips up a lot of players, mostly because the setup works differently than traditional games. Here's how the whole system works, what affects your experience, and what you'll need to consider based on your own equipment.
What Is Just Dance Now and How Does It Actually Work?
Just Dance Now is a browser-based and app-based dance game developed by Ubisoft. Unlike the main Just Dance console titles, it runs through a web browser or smart TV app on your TV screen, while your smartphone acts as the motion controller. You and your phone are one unit — the app tracks your movements through the phone's accelerometer.
The game operates on a host/player model:
- One device (your TV, laptop, or tablet) acts as the screen/host
- Each player's smartphone acts as the controller
This means the setup isn't about plugging in a controller — it's about getting two separate devices to communicate over the same network.
Step-by-Step: How to Get Just Dance Now on Your TV
Option 1: Smart TV with a Web Browser
Many smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Sony, and others) have a built-in web browser. If yours does:
- Open the browser on your TV
- Navigate to justdancenow.com
- A room code will appear on screen
- On your smartphone, download the Just Dance Now app (iOS or Android)
- Enter the room code in the app
- You're connected — your phone is now your controller
The catch: not all smart TV browsers handle the game equally well. Some may struggle with performance due to limited browser processing power or outdated browser engines.
Option 2: Chromecast or Google Cast-Enabled Devices 📺
If you have a Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV, or a TV with Chromecast built in:
- Open the Just Dance Now app on your phone
- Look for the Cast icon in the app
- Select your Chromecast device
- The game screen will display on your TV
- Your phone automatically becomes the controller
This is generally one of the smoother experiences because the app is purpose-built to support casting.
Option 3: Connect a Laptop or PC to Your TV via HDMI
If your TV doesn't have a usable browser or casting support:
- Connect a laptop or desktop to your TV using an HDMI cable
- Set your TV as the display output (mirror or extend screen)
- Open justdancenow.com in a browser on the laptop (Chrome tends to work best)
- Note the room code shown on-screen
- Connect your phone via the Just Dance Now app using that code
This approach offloads the processing to your computer rather than your TV, which often results in better performance.
Option 4: Amazon Fire Stick or Roku
Neither Fire Stick nor Roku natively supports Just Dance Now through an official app as of recent updates. However, Fire Stick users running a Fire TV Stick 4K or newer may be able to sideload an Android APK, though this requires enabling developer options and carries compatibility risks. It is not the officially supported method.
Key Variables That Affect How Well It Works
Getting Just Dance Now onto your TV is only part of the equation. How well it performs depends on several factors:
| Variable | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi network quality | Both your TV/host device and phone must be on the same network; lag on either causes sync issues |
| Phone model and OS version | Newer phones with better accelerometers track movement more accurately |
| TV browser engine | Outdated smart TV browsers may stutter or fail to load the game properly |
| Internet speed | Streaming game assets requires a reasonably stable connection; highly variable speeds cause loading problems |
| Number of players | Each additional phone/player adds load to the host device and network |
Network stability is the single biggest factor in a smooth experience. Just Dance Now is not downloaded locally — it streams content, so even short dips in your connection affect gameplay.
How the Phone Controller Actually Connects 🎮
The phone doesn't connect via Bluetooth — it connects over your local Wi-Fi network using the room code as a session identifier. This is important to understand because:
- Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network
- If your TV is on a wired connection and your phone is on Wi-Fi, the host (justdancenow.com) is running in the cloud — the room code system works regardless, as long as both devices have internet access
- If your phone switches to mobile data mid-session, the controller connection can drop
Some users run into issues when their home network separates devices onto a 2.4GHz vs. 5GHz band — these are technically the same network but occasionally cause connection discovery issues depending on router configuration.
Different Setups Lead to Different Experiences
A player using a mid-range Android phone casting via Chromecast on a stable home broadband connection will generally have a much smoother experience than someone using an older smart TV browser on a congested Wi-Fi network with a budget phone.
Similarly, households trying to run 4–6 players simultaneously will put significantly more strain on both the host device and the network than a two-player session.
The core setup steps are the same, but the quality of the experience varies widely depending on the hardware generation, network environment, and number of participants in your specific situation.