The Chromecast is a media streaming device from Google, allowing you to play your favorite content from Netflix, Spotify, Google Play Music, Pandora, and countless other services on your television. The device is a small HDMI dongle, and retails for $35.
I’m an Apple guy. I have enough Apple hardware around my house to serve as a mini-museum and I use Apple’s software and services every single day. But when Google makes something interesting like Chromecast Audio, I can’t help but want to try out the new toy.
Sold for just $35 (Google Store, Best Buy), Chromecast Audio lets you stream audio over the Internet from services like Spotify and NPR to old speakers. This varies from Apple’s AirPlay in that audio streams directly to the Chromecast Audio rather than from device to device, using your iPhone or iPad only as the remote. In practice, Chromecast Audio is most similar to Sonos, but with Google’s accessory selling at a much lower, irresistible price as it relies on your existing speakers rather than all-in-one units.
So what exactly is Chromecast Audio and what can it do? Read on for details…
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Update: It’s gone.
It’s not really a matter that’s up in the air, but now the confirmation is coming straight from Google. At the time of this writing, the “Optimized devices for Android Screen casting” Chromecast support page lists the “Droid Maxx 2,” a phone that hasn’t yet been announced in any official capacity…
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Earlier this month, we exclusively detailed Google’s intention on introducing a 2nd generation Chromecast (and Chromecast Audio), and earlier this week, the Mountain View company made them official. We of course grabbed both the new Chromecast and the Chromecast Audio, and below you’ll find our quick unboxing video of the former…
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A woman receives a package from Amazon that presumably does not contain a Chromecast
If you’re looking to buy an Chromecast online, you may need to look somewhere other than Amazon in the very near future. A new report from Bloomberg claims that an internal email at indicates the retailer will block sales of Google’s streaming device because it doesn’t support Amazon Prime Video.
Google announced a couple of days ago that a new version of the Google Photos Android app was on the way, Chromecast support, people labelling and album collaboration – features first spotted a week ago. Google has advised that this update is now available …
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During the announcement of Google’s Chromecast Audio yesterday, the company made sure to mention that music subscription leader Spotify will soon be one of the many music streaming services supported by the platform. With many Apple Music subscriptions renewing (or not renewing) and Google unveiling a $35 dongle that retrofits our existing home speakers with Wi-Fi, some are rightfully wondering: What about Apple Music?
According to statements from one Googler (via TrustedReviews), Google has no bar on any platform joining in on supporting Chromecast, and the Mountain View company has already directly asked Apple to play along…
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Following the introduction of new devices yesterday, Google has now updated its list of availability by country for the Google Store for the new Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, second-gen Chromecast, and Chromecast Audio.
For the most part the new Nexus devices arrive in the same countries that the previous generation Nexus 6 was available, while the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio get support for additional countries beyond availability for the previous generation Chromecast.
Here’s the full breakdown:
Nexus 5X
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States, United Kingdom
Nexus 6P
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States, United Kingdom
Chromecast 2nd Generation
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
Chromecast Audio
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
In case you missed any of yesterday’s announcements, you can catch up with our coverage at the links below:
Watch Google’s Chromecast 2, Nexus 5X/6P event right here [Livestream]
LG Nexus 5X officially announced, $379 gets you full HD display, Snapdragon 808 and fingerprint sensor
Huawei Nexus 6P officially announced, 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 810, more
Google: 1.4B Android actives, 1B active Play users, 30k new Chromebooks/day, 10k companies using Android for Work
Google confirms its ‘Pixel C’ Android tablet w/ detachable keyboard, Android Marshmallow, more
Android 6.0 Marshmallow gets a release date: Rollout starts on next week for Nexus 5, 6, 7 (2013) and Nexus 9
Google launches Google Play Music All Access Family Plan w/ 6 users for $15 per month
New Google Photos features announced: Shared albums, people labeling, Chromecast support
Google unveils the 2nd generation Chromecast w/ better WiFi, Feeds, Fast Play, more
Google’s Chromecast Audio WiFi-enables your speakers, packs multi-room support
Alongside the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, Google also today introduced a new version of its Chromecast app. It’s not a drastic departure from the previous version, but it does bring some notable new features including a new “What’s On” section that suggests content from the apps you have installed, support for image feeds from Facebook, Flickr, and other sources, voice search for content, and more…
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If you’re frantically trying to figure out how to buy the new Google-y product goodness, you’re not alone. Alongside two completely new $35 Chromecasts, Google has today announced the new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.
Here are some quick links
Google has also added a listing for the ZenWatch 2, although it’s not yet available:
While the two new Chromecasts are currently showing as leaving the warehouse within a couple of days, both Nexus phones are set to ship sometime later in October. The Nexus 6P, in fact, has already slipped to 5-6 weeks from 2-3 for most models.
Google is bringing new Chromecast hardware to its range, as we exclusively revealed last week. But it isn’t just new hardware. Chromecast is adding native support for some new streaming services including Showtime, SlingTV, NBA, NHL and BN Sports. Perhaps the most notable of these video services is SlingTV, which lets you watch live TV using an internet connection.
But, as previously rumored, Spotify is now getting Chromecast support too. Now you’ll be able to listen to Spotify anywhere in your house using Chromecast or one of the new Chromecast Audio products hooked up to a speaker. Additionaly, Google demonstrated that two or more simultaneous uses will be able to sync playlists and control a Spotify stream.
While the support will work with the newly announced Chromecast hardware, it’ll also work with the existing 20M Chromecast devices out on the market.
Along with the 2nd generation Chromecast that Google unveiled today, the company also showed off an audio-focused version of the device. Not to be confused with Google Cast for Audio, which is Google’s platform for making speakers and other audio hardware directly compatible with the Chromecast, “Chromecast Audio” is a Chromecast itself that will plug into your speakers by way of 3.5 mm headphone jack…
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Last week we told you that a teardown of the latest version of Google Photos revealed some interesting new features: album collaboration, people labeling, Chromecast support, and more. Now, Google has announced today at its September 29th event that it is making these exact three features official…
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Google has just kicked off its press event, where it’s expected to unveil next-gen Chromecast and Nexus devices alongside other announcements, but it started with an update on company numbers and more.
Among the numbers, Google’s Sundar Pichai confirmed that it’s introducing around 30,000 new Chromebooks everyday with around 10,000 companies using or testing the company’s new Android for Work platform. Google announced its new Android for Work platform back in February, opening up a dedicated Google Play store and other features specifically for enterprise users.
The company also said that it’s now at 1 billion active Google Play users with around 1.4 billion active Android devices over the last 30 days and 20 million Chromecasts sold to date.
Head below for a full roundup of numbers announced today during Google’s press event:
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As we exclusively reported earlier this month, Spotify is teaming up with Google to — finally — introduce support for the Chromecast. Now, as the event is nearing kickoff, some users are already noticing their Chromecast devices appearing in the Spotify Connect list, although the feature doesn’t seem to be working quit yet.
As you can see above, it looks like Spotify is going to include Google Cast devices in the same list as other Spotify Connect devices (via Reddit). However, as of right now at least, try to cast your stream to a Chromecast simple results in the following error message: “Spotify is not support on this device right now.”
Google is sure to make mention of Spotify’s new support for its platform at its event scheduled to kick off at 9 AM PT. If you want to keep in the loop on this as well as new Chromecast hardware, new Nexus devices, and more, be sure to head over and watch the livestream when it becomes available.
Google’s planning to introduce new Chromecasts, new Nexus devices, and plenty of other goodies at its September 29th event today, and thankfully, the company is livestreaming it for those who won’t be there in the flesh. If you’ve got a chance to watch along (although there probably isn’t much we don’t already know), head below the break…
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Last week we told you that a teardown of the latest version of Google Photos revealed some interesting new features: album collaboration, people labeling, Chromecast support, and more. Now we’ve learned thanks to a new report that Google is planning to make these exact three features official at its Nexus and Chromecast event tomorrow…
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Google’s September 29th event — the company’s biggest press-facing event since Google I/O 2015 — is scheduled to kick off tomorrow. And while there are definitely some things that haven’t managed to hit the rumor mill quite yet (or maybe not?), a lot of the company’s biggest announcements for tomorrow aren’t secret. The company is planning to reveal two different Chromecast devices, we’ll certainly see the unveiling of the company’s Nexus 5X and 6P, and we’ll hear about the official launch of Android Marshmallow among many other announcements…
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As we’d previously heard, Google’s event — where it’s expected to unveil the upcoming Nexuses (Nexii?) — will take place in San Francisco on September 29th. Doors will open at 8am, with the event due to kick off at 9am and followed by hands-on time with the new devices…
We told you earlier today about the 2nd generation Chromecast, scheduled to be launched later this month. We also mentioned that Google is planning to launch something called “Chromecast Audio,” although details were unclear until now. Thanks to several sources familiar with Google’s plans, NewGeekGuide has learned that Chromecast Audio is indeed a second Chromecast device targeted specifically at WiFi-enabling the speakers in your home, launching alongside the 2nd generation device…
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As we told you yesterday, Google is preparing several big Chromecast announcements for its September event later this month. According to the internal documents that NewGeekGuide has obtained, the company is planning to launch not only brand new Chromecast hardware and Spotify support, but an updated companion app for the streaming device as well. The new app seems to build on the previous, packing suggested content features, a new design, and more…
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According to internal documents that NewGeekGuide has obtained, huge updates to the Chromecast platform are just around the corner. The long-rumored 2nd generation Chromecast hardware is set to debut at Google’s event later this month, packing many new features including feeds for the device’s main screen, improved WiFi, a new feature called “Fast Play,” and more…
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While Chromecast has long supported Google Play Music, Netflix, Pandora, and other subscription services, Spotify — one of the most popular music streaming services — has long been left off the list. According to leaked internal documents that NewGeekGuide has seen, Google is preparing a slew of Chromecast announcements for later this month, one of which being Spotify support for Chromecast…
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Earlier this year, Google Slides on Android was updated with support for presenting slide shows over both the Chromecast and Apple TV and today the company is expanding on that capability and making it easier for presenters to stay engaged with the audience. With today’s update, presenters can now control their slide shows directly from the lock screen of their Android device.
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