Google’s new Cast Connect aims to make Android TVs work better with mobile apps

The feature will make it easier for users to control the playback of the content being cast onto an Android TV. Here is how it works.

Casting to Android TVs is going to get a lot better (Pixabay)

Google is making casting experience better on Android TVs. The company has introduced a new feature called ‘Cast Connect' which essentially allows the related app on your Android TV to stream the content.

Google says that Cast Connect is based on the existing casting infrastructure. “The Cast Connect library allows your Android TV app to receive messages and broadcast media status as if it were a Chromecast,” it explains.

According to Google, you can initiate a media playback on an Android TV app from a Cast-compatible application. The feature also sends media status from TV apps to sender apps.

“Since Cast Connect allows you to support the core features of a CAF receiver, it can be used with your existing sender applications,” it adds.

The feature also does away with the dependence on the mobile for controlling the playback. Instead, users can use the Android TV (OEM's) remote for managing the streaming. According to reports, using apps on Android TV will help the casting experience much more lag-free.

Users, however, may not be able to immediately start using the Cast Connect as it will require all the third-party apps to include the support.

Separately, Google is working on a new streaming dongle that will compete with Amazon's Fire TV stick. The new Chromecast device, codenamed Sabrina, is said to bring 4K streaming at 60fps, HDR, Dolby Vision, and HDMI 2.1 for low-latency.