Google Assistant on Android can now cast music and video to Chromecast devices

It seems Google is making an effort to bring Assistant’s functionality to parity across Home and smartphones that feature the voice-activated assistant. One of the most confusing things about Google’s otherwise solid assistant is the fact that not all of its features work across every device.

While casting music and videos to Chromecast devices is something Google Home has been capable of since launch, using Assistant via a phone has lacked this feature — at least until now.

Google has started rolling out an update that allows users to cast from their phone to any Chromecast or Chromecast-enbabled device (including televisions). For example, my Chromecast-powered Vizio TV can now receive content cast directly from my Android device.

This new functionality works with Chromecast devices, including the Chromecast Ultra, as well as Chromecast Audio. I tested the functionality out by asking Google Assistant on my Pixel XL to play MobileSyrup’s YouTube channel on my Vizio TV, and the feature worked flawlessly. The latest video uploaded to our channel started playing, with the TV even switching to the correct input in the process. Interestingly though, even though I asked Google Assistant to play the video from my phone, the Google Home sitting on my side table responded.

It’s strange Google didn’t add this feature to Assistant earlier given similar functionality has been available via the Google Home for a number of months now, but it’s certainly nice to finally be able to pretend I live in the future by telling my TV to play content from my Android device.

Via: Android Police