At CES 2024 this past weekend, Google announced several new updates to Chromecast, including TikTok compatibility for scrolling through videos on your TV, Fast Pair support for quicker Bluetooth connections and built-in Chromecast for new LG TVs this year.
Read more: Our Best of Show, the Most Exciting, Innovative and Impactful Tech Winners of CES 2024
Google’s media streaming dongle, which was first released in 2013 and is built into some devices, allows you to cast video and audio from your smartphone, tablet and computer to your TV, speakers and other devices. All Google TVs, like the latest 2024 Hisense ULED Series and TCL Q Class, come with a built-in Chromecast.
Currently, there are over 220 million monthly active Google TV and other Android TV OS devices.
You need two compatible devices on the same W-Fi network and the most recent app update for this to work.
Google also announced Fast Pair support for TVs
Fast Pair, which allows you to quickly find and connect your nearby Bluetooth accessories to Android devices or Chromebook computers, is expanding to Chromecast with Google TV in the next month and other Google TV devices later this year.
If you want to quietly listen to TV without disrupting others in your home or want to improve your TVs surround sound, you’ll soon be able to use Fast Pair. Simply place your accessory in pairing mode and with a single tap quickly connect your Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
The LG M4 OLED TV, seen here in a 97-inch size, uses wireless technology.
Stream music and podcasts across devices
If you’re listening to a music or podcast on your phone and want to listen on your tablet instead, Google now allows you to easily cast what you’re listening to on Spotify and YouTube Music from your compatible Pixel phone, like the Pixel 8, to your docked Pixel Tablet, but only when the two devices are near to each other.
These new Android Auto features will come first to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning in the next few months.
If you’re interested in learning more about CES 2024, check out this impressive LG Transparent OLED TV that transforms into a fish tank and ChatGPT is coming to VW so you can talk to your car.
