Chromecast with Google TV makes the leap to Android 12

Chromecast with Google TV is no spring chicken, having just had its second birthday. But it’s hardly being put out to pasture — and a new software update makes that clear. The first device with the new “Google TV” (as opposed to the old Google TV of yore, but we digress) operating system and user interface has just made the leap from Android 10 to Android 12.

Chromecast with Google TV software update. — Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

And before anyone hops in and says, “but Chromecast runs Google TV and not Android TV!!!” — we’re just going to go ahead and stop you right there. Call it what you want — and Google’s definitely called it both, including in this new changelog — but the end result is that it’s now on “Android TV OS 12,” according to the changelog for version STTE.220621.019.A2. You’ll also now be on the July 2022 security patch.

That’s all internal stuff and ultimately doesn’t matter for the end user. Once the 722-megabyte update is complete, you’ll pretty much see the exact same thing on screen as you did before. And that’s good.

Other improvements of note, however, include new settings to let you better control high-dynamic range content. You’ll now be able to set your HDR preference between Dolby Vision, regular HDR, and SDR (standard range). There’s also a new option to let you switch between frame rates while still matching frame rates.

New system security and privacy get bullet points, too, as do system level controls for microphones and cameras.

And that’s that. The update should be available now — head into Settings > System > About > System update to get things started. And note that this applies to both the older Chromecast with Google TV, as well as the newer Chromecast HD model that’s limited to 1080p (and no Dolby Vision) but is otherwise exactly the same.

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