Google has announced that Cast functionality has been integrated directly into the Chrome browser. Now, users do not need to install a separate extension to cast content from a webpage, to a TV connected to a Chromecast dongle. In its official blog, the company notes that with this feature, anyone would be able to cast without the need to install or configure anything.
When visiting websites that are integrated with Cast, users will see a cast icon appear when they are on the same network as a cast device. Users can also view websites not integrated, by opening the Options menu and selecting ‘Cast’. Further, Google also said that users will be able to cast to Google Hangouts and the Cast for Education app.
Stephen Konig, Product Manager at Google wrote on the blog, “Casting from Chrome has become incredibly popular: In the past month alone, people have casted more than 38 million times from Chrome, watching and listening to more than 50 million hours of content.” Google started rolling out this functionality last month and had made the announcement via its support page.
A few months back, Google rebranded its Chromecast app to Google cast. The company said that the new name better represented the fact that its Cast technology is supported on a number of different devices.