Google plans to bring casting to your Chromebook and car displays

What you need to know

• During Google IO 2022, Google revealed that it plans to let you cast content from your phone to your car’s entertainment display.
• It will cast audio without displaying video which can obstruct drivers’ attention.
• Google will let you cast your Android phone to a Chromebook for the first time.
• Google announced a new list of casting partners in the audio and TV space, including Sennheiser, LG, Bose, Sony, JBL, Vizio and TCL.

Amid the flurry of upcoming Google I/O 2022 news on Wednesday, Google dropped an interesting Chromecast sign for those who spend a lot of time on the road. Google Senior Product Manager Liza Ma revealed that you’ll be able to cast content from your Android phone to your car’s entertainment display.

Different from Android Auto, this new casting feature will let you send a video directly from your phone to your car’s display.

We don’t know yet which cars will support this feature, or whether you’ll actually be able to watch Video on display – that would be incredibly distracting for drivers. We assume it will only play audio, or possibly only work when parked. We’ll reach out to Google for more details and will update this post if they respond.

Ma also mentioned that you will be able to cast videos from Android phones to Chromebooks as well. We recently saw a similar feature in Android 13 beta where you can broadcast a separate virtual display from your Pixel device to your laptop or desktop computer, but casting seems like a simpler and more universal solution.

With a more natural connection between your phone and the best Chromebook, you’ll be able to keep up with your favorite apps without having to search for content on both screens.

(image credits: google)

Finally, Ma mentioned that Google is “working to expand casting capabilities to new partners and products,” with a list of companies displayed behind them. The list includes Bang & Olufsen, Bose, JBL, LG, Philips, Sennheiser, Sony, TCL, Vizio – most of which sell a combination of TVs, soundbars and speakers. In theory, all the best Android phones will soon be more easily paired with a wider range of devices.

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