Google Cast now native to Chrome
Google Cast is now built-in to Google Chrome, allowing users to stream straight from the browser to their Cast device.
No user configuration or installation is required, and as not all websites are integrated with Google Cast, users will be presented with a Cast icon if the option is available -- providing they are on the same network as their Google Cast device.
Additionally, users can view websites that are not integrated with Cast on their television by selecting the "Cast..." menu item from the Chrome menu.
Since Google Cast launched two years ago, the search engine giant said casting from Chrome has become increasingly 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 said in a blog post.
Earlier this year, Google updated Chromecast and launched its Chromecast Audio product in Australia and New Zealand, offering improved Wi-Fi connections for higher-quality streaming.
At the same time, Google also redesigned the Chromecast app, with Mickey Kim, head of Asia-Pacific Partnerships, Chromecast & TV at Google Australia, calling it the "hub of your online entertainment" as it featured a list of scrollable content from the entertainment apps installed on a user's phone, including Netflix, Stan, Twitch, Presto, and YouTube, and suggests other apps that could be installed and used through the Chromecast.
Google renamed its Chromecast app to Google Cast in March, with speculation that the tech giant was perhaps moving the app to beam music to more than just a Chromecast dongle.
In June, Google announced a series of new classroom-focused tools, rolling out Quizzes, a set of features in Google Forms, as well as Google Cast for Education, an app that effectively functions as a classroom projector.
Google said it began rolling out Google Cast for Education in beta after hearing from teachers that projectors are a key part of their classrooms but remain disconnected from their lesson plans.