Android 11 brought the System Audio Switcher feature, a tiny button that appears on music playback widgets and allows you to select the correct audio output device, such as your phone's speaker or headphones. However, it does not show Chromecast devices on the network. Currently, the only way you can stream audio to a Cast-compatible product is to switch the audio output by using the Cast button within the app that's playing the audio.
Well, Google seems to be working on a new feature that will show Chromecast devices in the System Audio Switcher pop-up menu. This will enable people to select different types of devices for audio output from a single place rather than going back and forth between System Audio Switcher and the app that's playing the audio. The new feature was spotted by Esper's Mishaal Rahman, and he has shared a video demonstrating how it works.
FINALLY! Google is reviving a feature originally planned for Android 11: the ability to pick from Google Cast targets in the audio output switcher! This now requires Android 13, though.
Here's a first look and a sneak peek at an upcoming enhancement to the feature 👀 pic.twitter.com/X7sCJdWRTz
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 14, 2022
According to him, the new feature, which is a part of Cast SDK, requires Android 13. It suggests that you'll only be able to experience it on your device when it gets the next version of the OS. There's another similar feature that's in the works, and it's called ‘Stream Expansion.' It allows you to stream audio to multiple “Remote” audio targets (which most probably means multiple Chromecast or Cast-compatible devices) for daisy-chaining speakers.
Although the two new features are still a couple of months away, we are glad that Google is working on making its products work better together. In a similar effort, the company had recently integrated Google Calendar and Google Tasks with Google Assistant. It also replaced Google Duo with Google Meet.
