Questions, answered plainly.
What is CastAdhan, in one sentence?
A small box that plays the adhan — and Qur'an, dhikr and more — through the Google speakers you already own, at the right time for your city, every day, on its own.
What do I need for it to work?
Home Wi‑Fi and at least one Google Cast speaker or display — a Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub, Chromecast or Google TV. That's it.
Does it work with Amazon Alexa (Echo)?
No. Alexa devices don't speak Google Cast, so they're not supported. If your home is all-Echo, CastAdhan isn't for you — we'd rather say that plainly than after you've bought one.
Is there a subscription?
No. You buy it once. It updates itself, free, for life. There's no account to create and no cloud service it depends on.
I'm not technical. Will I manage the setup?
Yes. You plug in two cables, open a web page on your phone, and answer a short wizard: your city, your calculation method, your speakers. About three minutes — no apps, no accounts, no terminal commands. And a real person answers if you get stuck.
Can I use my own adhan, or a favourite reciter?
Yes — upload your own audio from the control page and choose which file plays for each event. You can even record the adhan in your own voice. A full library is built in, so it also works beautifully out of the box.
Will it wake the children — or bother the neighbours?
Each speaker has its own volume, and each sound chooses its own speakers, so the Qur'an in the lounge never plays in a child's bedroom. At night, quiet hours drop background audio to a neighbour-safe level — while the adhan itself always stays clear.
What if it starts playing at a bad moment?
Add the control page to your phone's home screen and a one-tap Stop button is always within reach. There's an Emergency Stop too, which also pauses the schedule.
My community follows a specific method or madhab. Can it match?
Yes — multiple calculation methods (ISNA, MWL, Umm al‑Qura, Karachi, Egyptian, Diyanet and more), the Asr madhab setting, and proper high-latitude rules for UK and European summers.
What does it do in Ramadan?
Suhoor wake-up alarms, seasonal reminders, and the Eid takbeeraat when the month ends — alongside the usual five adhans.
How does it stay up to date?
It updates itself overnight, and if an update ever misbehaves it rolls back automatically. You'll never plug it into a computer.
What if I move house, or want to help my parents' unit?
Change the city in settings and it recalculates. Units also have built-in secure remote help, so you can look after a family member's device from your own home.
Is it really open source?
Yes. The software is open source — though for now I share it by email rather than a public link, so CastAdhan can settle into homes before it is widely copied. Ask and I will send it. Even if development stopped tomorrow, the code would remain for others to maintain, and your device would keep working regardless.
Something we haven't answered? Ask a real person.