Chromecast multiroom, Google Home integration coming to LG’s Music Flow speakers

By Kris Wouk January 19, 2017

lg music flow google home chromecast multiroom audio musicflow buttons — Image used with permission by copyright holder

We had a chance to look at LG’s Music Flow speaker system when it launched in 2015. The system aimed to compete with Sonos and other companies, but a mix of sync issues and a lack of certain features made it seem like the company had a way to go until it had a hit on its hands. That might be closer, as Thursday an LG employee announced in a forum post that not only was the company adding Chromecast multiroom audio to the Music Flow line, but was also planning to integrate Google Home.

“We have prepared Google Multiroom functionality,” the LG staffer wrote. “During preparing for that, we also discuss with Google team about Link with Google Home device function. And, we decide to update two major functionalities, ‘Google Multiroom’ and ‘Link with Google Home device’ at same time.”

While Google Home is fairly new, Chromecast wireless multiroom audio has been possible since the launch of the Chromecast Audio. Why exactly LG didn’t bring this feature to its Music Flow speakers earlier isn’t clear, but considering the issues we encountered during out time with the system, it’s possible that the company wanted to focus on one multiroom technology at a time.

Having more speakers available in your multiroom setup is definitely a nice thing, but the addition of Google Home support is the more exciting of these two new features. Once the feature arrives, it will enable voice control of playback, volume, and other features, making playing your favorite music throughout your entire home as easy as speaking a few words.

There is no exact timing on when these new features will be coming to Music Flow speakers, but the LG employee wrote that a software update bringing both Google Home and Chromecast Audio support is expected to be released before the end of February.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Audio / Video

Apple TV app comes to Chromecast with Google TV

Apple TV app on Chromecast with Google TV

Chromecast with Google TV users can add the Apple TV app to their devices from the Google Play Store starting today. This gives Apple yet another device that can run its curated entertainment experience, as well as its subscription streaming service, Apple TV+. The Apple TV app is already available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and several smart TV platforms from brands like LG and Samsung.

What's unusual about the Chromecast with Google TV announcement is that it appears to create a Russian Matryoshka doll effect in terms of the user experience. Both Google TV and the Apple TV app are designed to be holistic streaming experiences that can bring all of your content into one place, with suggestions curated by an algorithm. By adding the Apple TV app to Google TV, users will effectively be putting a curated experience inside a curated experience.

News

Apple Music finds its way to Google Assistant speakers and displays

The Google Nest Audio.

In what feels like a surprising but logical next step in its bid to become the music powerhouse of the smart speaker world, Google has added Apple Music compatibility to Google Assistant speakers and displays. You can now ask Google Assistant to play music through Apple Music -- a thrilling development for the Apple Music lovers out there that don't want to pay the $100 for a HomePod Mini. Apple Music had long been solely available only on iOS and HomePod.

You will need to be a subscriber to Apple Music, but if you are, you can search through more than 70 million songs with just your voice. The feature is rolling out today on devices like the Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, Nest Mini, and others like it. The music is ad-free, just as you would expect.

Smart Home

Google Nest Audio vs. Google Home

The Google Nest Audio speaker on a table.

Google's original Home device was announced at its developer conference in 2016, but 2020 marked a new offering -- the Google Nest Audio. When compared to its older sibling, how does the Nest Audio compare to the Google Home? We took a look at both devices in this breakdown, pitting the Google Nest Audio versus Google Home.
Pricing and availability

The Google Home launched at $130 in 2016, but in 2020 it became more difficult to locate; where it could be found, we found prices starting at around $79 -- although for this aging product, sites such as eBay might be your best bet. Google Nest Audio sells for $100, or at a discount of $20 off for every two units you purchase from the Google Store. Google Nest and Home products can now be found in various countries globally, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Denmark, South Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.
Design