Google Chromecast is getting a huge upgrade – here’s what’s new
Google isn’t missing out on the CES 2024 action and has announced some major new features for Chromecast devices at the technology fair in Las Vegas – and TikTok users will be especially interested.
As explained by Google’s Sameer Samat in a blog post, TikTok content can now be sent from your phone to any Chromecast device, whether that’s a dongle plugged into the back of your TV or the Chromecast functionality built into the TV itself. Support for live TikTok videos will also arrive “soon.”
Speaking of devices with Chromecast built-in, there’s more to come: LG’s 2024 TVs will have Chromecast capabilities on board, as will new models from Hisense and TCL, so you won’t need to plug anything into an HDMI port. back.
Google says Chromecast functionality is also headed to the LG Hospitality and Healthcare platform “later this year” – which essentially means you’ll be able to get content from your phone on the big screen in your hotel room or from your hospital bed, as long as where you are using an LG kit.
From phone to tablet
Another upgrade Google is promising for 2024 is specific to Pixel phones and the Google Pixel tablet: you can transfer Spotify or YouTube Music playback from phone to tablet by bringing the devices close together.
The idea is that you can listen to something on your phone on the way home, for example, and then seamlessly move your music or podcast to your Pixel Tablet and its speaker. If you feel like you’ve seen something like this before, you’re right: iPhones and HomePods have a similar feature.
Google says there are now more than 220 million active devices running the older Android TV and the newer Google TV software platforms, which can of course run native streaming apps and play videos cast from connected devices.
It means the Chromecast standard is still one of the most supported and convenient ways to get audio and video streams from a phone or tablet to a big TV screen. Even on the iPhone and iPad, many popular apps come with Chromecast support, which shows how ubiquitous it has become.
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