It’s been nearly three years since Google unveiled the widely-popular Chromecast, a cheap little dongle you plug into the HDMI port on your TV to cast content from apps like Netflix and YouTube.
Last year, Google offered a redesigned version of the device that also came with compatibility for 802.11ac and 5GHz access points, but the search giant went a step further by also releasing Chromecast Audio, a similar-looking device that plugs into speakers, allowing people to cast music to them. The related Cast technology was also extended to Android TVs and game consoles, and the app was also revamped with more features, including voice-activated search.
Given the varying use cases for the Chromecast and Google’s cast technology that are continually expanding, the Mountain View company has decided to rebrand the Chromecast app as Google Cast, announced in a blog post. The move comes after Google revealed that its cast technology is now available in Vizio’s SmartCast P-Series displays, soundbars, and speakers. You can read our hands-on review of Vizio’s latest TV lineup here.
“We’re also changing the name of the Chromecast app to Google Cast app, to better reflect that Google Cast technology is now supported across a wide range of devices such as Chromecast, TVs, displays and speakers,” the company wrote. “The Google Cast app makes it easy for you to discover great stuff to watch, find more apps, customize backdrop, and more.”
There’s even a new Google Cast website that offers details on what devices use Google’s technology, and it also sort of acts as a third-party app store that lets people discover apps that have Cast support. Once you find an app you want to download, the site lets you choose between the Google Play Store or iTunes, or even the app’s website, to get more information.
You’ll be seeing the name change in your app soon, as the update is rolling out this week for Android and iOS.
