Product Code Database
Chromecast is a line of digital media players that were developed by Google from 2013 to 2024. The devices, designed as small , can play Internet-streaming media audio-visual content on a high-definition television or home audio system. The user can control playback with a mobile device or personal computer through mobile app and that can use the Google Cast protocol, or by issuing commands via Google Assistant; later models introduced a navigable user interface and remote control. Content can be mirrored to video models from the Google Chrome web browser on a personal computer or from the screen of some Android devices.
The first-generation Chromecast, a video streaming device, was announced on July 24, 2013, and made available for purchase on the same day in the United States for . The second-generation Chromecast and an audio-only model called Chromecast Audio were released in September 2015. A model called Chromecast Ultra that can display 4K resolution and high dynamic range was released in November 2016. A third generation of the HD video Chromecast was released in October 2018. The final models, called Chromecast with Google TV, were the first in the product line to feature an interactive user interface and remote control; a 4K version was released in September 2020, followed by a 1080p version in September 2022.
Critics praised the first-generation Chromecast's simplicity and potential for future app support. The Google Cast SDK was released on February 3, 2014, allowing third parties to modify their software to work with Chromecast and other Cast receivers. By May 2015, more than 1.5 billion stream requests had been initiated and over 20,000 Cast-ready apps had been made available, according to Google. Chromecast was the best-selling streaming device in the United States in 2014, according to NPD Group. Over 100 million Chromecast devices were sold over 11 years, according to Google. Many technology publications included Chromecast on their lists of popular and influential products of the 2010s. In 2024, the Chromecast product line was discontinued and replaced with the Google TV Streamer.
After joining Google in 2011 to work on products that "would change how people used their TVs", Bakar pitched the idea for the Chromecast. In 2012, a small team split off from the Google TV team to begin development of the Chromecast; Chandra described it as a "true kind of little mini startup inside of Google". At the time, Google had limited experience manufacturing its own devices and was partnering with other companies for its Google Nexus line of devices. The Chromecast team subsequently enlisted an employee from Motorola, which Google had just acquired at the time, to coordinate manufacturing as a "20% time" side project. Google originally targeted an introductory price of US$25 for the Chromecast but had not accounted for factors such as certification testing and retailers' profit margins; the company ultimately settled on a US$35 price point for the first model. Late in 2012, Bakar brought home a Beta release of the product for Hindie to test. The device was launched in July 2013.
According to a complaint filed against Google as part of a patent lawsuit, Google employees reportedly held several meetings with the company Touchstream in December 2011 to discuss its casting technology. However, Google later conveyed that it was not interested in Touchstream's technology. About 18 months later, Google introduced its Chromecast media-streaming devices, which were allegedly based on the technology demonstrated during those earlier meetings.
When no content is streamed, video-capable Chromecasts display a user-personalizable content feed called "Backdrop" that can include featured and personal photos, artwork, weather, satellite images, weather forecasts, and news.
If a television's HDMI ports implement the Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature, pressing the cast button will also result in the video-capable Chromecast automatically turning on the TV and switching the television's active audio/video input using the CEC command "One Touch Playback".
The model number H2G2-42 is likely a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy abbreviation "H2G2"—in the novel, the number 42 is the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything." The bundled power adapter bears the model number MST3K-US, a reference to the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
The model number NC2-6A5 may be a reference to the registry number "NCC-1701" of the fictional starship USS Enterprise from the Star Trek franchise, the "saucer section" of which the device resembles: NC2 can be read as NCC, and 6A5 converted from hexadecimal is 1701.
The model number RUX-J42 may have been a reference to the Jimi Hendrix albums Are You Experienced (stylized "R U eXperienced") and Midnight Lightning, which had the internal code J-42. Chromecast Audio was also developed with the internal codename Hendrix.
Chromecasts with Google TV are bundled with a Bluetooth remote control, which has dedicated buttons for opening YouTube and Netflix, as well as a Google Assistant button for initiating voice commands or search queries through the remote's microphone. The remote can be programmed to control the power, volume, and input functions of televisions and soundbars through HDMI-CEC or Consumer IR signals. Unlike some previous models that could be powered by a television's USB port, Chromecasts with Google TV require a power adapter, which connects via USB-C.
The 4K model shipped with Android 10 and was later upgradeable to Android 12 through a downloadable update. It supports HDR through the Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ formats, while also supporting the Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos audio formats. It contains 8 GB of internal storage, 2 GB of RAM, and an Amlogic S905D3 SoC. The 4K model and its remote were produced in three different colors: Snow, Sky, and Sunrise.
The HD model shipped with Android 12. Like the 4K model, it included 8 GB of internal storage, but many other technical specifications were reduced. The HD version contains 1.5 GB of RAM and a less powerful Amlogic S805X2 chipset. It includes a hardware AV1 decoder, which was not in the 4K model. The HD model and its remote were only produced in the Snow color.
Over time, many more applications have been updated to support Chromecast. At Google I/O 2014, the company announced that 6,000 registered developers were working on 10,000 Google Cast–ready apps; by the following year's conference, the number of compatible apps had doubled. Google has published case studies documenting Chromecast integration by Comedy Central, Just Dance Now, Haystack News and Fitnet.
In July 2019, the Amazon Prime Video apps for Android and iOS added Chromecast support, marking the first time Amazon's streaming service supported the device. The move followed a four-year dispute between Google and Amazon in which Amazon stopped selling Chromecast devices and Google pulled YouTube from Amazon Fire TV.
The development framework has two components: a sender app based on a vendor's existing Android or iOS mobile app or desktop web app, which provides users with content discovery and media controls; and a receiver app, executing in a Chrome browser-like environment resident on the cast receiver device. Both make use of provided by the SDK.
Differing from all previous models, the Chromecast with Google TV models run on the Android TV operating system. A modified user interface, branded "Google TV" (unrelated to Google's discontinued smart TV platform), replaced the stock interface of Android TV. The Google TV interface emphasizes content recommendations and discovery across different services and installed apps, compared to the stock Android TV interface that is more focused on navigating between individual installed apps. When the Chromecast with Google TV launched, the Google TV interface was compatible with over 6,500 apps built for Android TV, and over 30 streaming services were integrated with Google TV for use in its content aggregation features.
Originally called simply "Chromecast", the app was released concurrently with the original Chromecast video model and made available for both Android and iOS mobile devices. The app was released outside the US in October 2013.
In May 2016, the Chromecast app was renamed Google Cast due to the proliferation of non-Chromecast products that support casting. In October 2016, the Google Cast app was renamed Google Home, the name also given to the company's smart speaker—leaving "Google Cast" as the name of the technology.
In July 2014, to commemorate the first anniversary of the device's launch, Google announced it would offer their music streaming service, Google Play Music All Access, at no cost for 90 days to Chromecast owners who had not previously used All Access; the standard cost of the service at that time was US$9.99 per month. On December 10, 2014, Chromecast was launched in India through e-commerce marketplace Snapdeal in partnership with Bharti Airtel. That same month, Google offered a promotion whereby anyone purchasing a Chromecast from a participating retailer before December 21 would receive a US$20 credit for the Google Play Store. Google offered a US$6 credit to the Store for all Chromecast owners beginning on February 6, 2015.
On September 29, 2015, Google announced the second-generation Chromecast and an audio-only model called Chromecast Audio. Each model was made available for purchase the same day for US$35. Days later, Amazon.com announced that it would ban the sale of Chromecast and Apple TV devices, presumably because they competed with Amazon's own Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. Google discontinued Chromecast Audio in January 2019.
On September 30, 2020, Google announced the Chromecast with Google TV during its "Launch Night In" event, though the product was already sold early at some retailers such as Walmart and the Home Depot during the week prior to its announcement. Google offered a promotion whereby anyone who signed up for YouTube TV and paid for one month of the service (a US$65 cost) would receive a Chromecast with Google TV at no cost; the offer was available only in the US to first-time YouTube TV subscribers. Additionally, in December 2020, Google made an offer available to YouTube TV users who had been continuous subscribers since June 2018 that allowed them to redeem a Chromecast with Google TV at no cost.
Michael Gorman of Engadget gave the Chromecast an 84/100 score, writing, "it's a platform that's likely to improve dramatically as more apps start to support the technology." In his comparing the Chromecast to competing devices, Gorman illustrated that it initially had support from fewer multimedia services, but because of its low price and ease of use, he concluded "we can wholeheartedly recommend the Chromecast for anyone who's been looking for an easy, unobtrusive way to put some brains into their dumb TV." Will Greenwald of PC Magazine rated it 4/5, saying, "The Google Chromecast is the least expensive way to access online services on your HDTV", although he noted that "The lack of local playback and limited Chrome integration holds it back in some respects." David Pogue of The New York Times praised the device for its $35 retail price, saying, "It's already a fine price for what this gadget does, and it will seem better and better the more video apps are made to work with it." Pogue noted the limitations of the device's screen mirroring feature and said using only mobile devices as a remote control was not "especially graceful", but he called Chromecast the "smallest, cheapest, simplest way yet to add Internet to your TV".
Nicole Lee of Engadget called it "not only the best Chromecast yet, but also one of the most value-packed streaming devices on the market". She complimented the remote control design and the Google TV interface for being "far easier to navigate" than the standard Android TV interface. She also opined that Google TV was better than Amazon's Fire TV at aggregating content from multiple services, and that Google Assistant was "smarter" than Amazon's Amazon Alexa for voice commands. Nick Pino of TechRadar rated the device four-and-a-half stars and called it "a revelation – it fixes something that wasn't broken, and improves a nearly perfect technology in a tangible way". He praised the hardware, video and audio format support, and the user interface's ease of use, calling it a "retooled streaming device that... offers a whole new experience that's more user-friendly for folks who are used to using a remote control and an easily navigable interface." Brian X. Chen of The New York Times was surprised by the number of privacy policies the user had to agree to and the number of permissions the user had to grant during the setup process, and he was disappointed with the recommendations given by Google TV.
Digital Trends named Chromecast the "Best Product of 2013". In March 2014, Engadget named Chromecast an Editor's Choice winner for "Home Theater Product of the Year" as part of the website's annual awards; for the following year's awards, the website named the device the winner of "Best in Home Entertainment".
In July 2015, Google signed a deal with the Television Academy to provide Chromecasts to Emmy Award voters to allow them to view screeners of nominated media. The multi-year agreement were intended to reduce the volume of DVD screeners distributed each year.
Chromecast appeared on several lists of technology from the 2010s. Time named it one of the 10 best gadgets of the decade, saying, "It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast's influence on streaming media can't be understated." USA Today ranked Chromecast the 7th-best gadget of the 2010s. PC Magazine listed it as one of the "most iconic tech innovations" of the decade, saying, "Google made wireless streaming from mobile devices to the TV as simple as a few taps, all for $35." The Verge ranked it 39th on their list of the gadgets of the 2010s, saying that Chromecast "helped make streaming video a normal part of many households".
After 10 years of supporting the original Chromecast, Google ended software and security updates for the device in April 2023.
On August 6, 2024, Google announced that it was ending production of the Chromecast product line and that it would sell the devices until it exhausted existing inventory. The company said it would continue providing software and security updates for remaining devices. The same day, the company announced Google TV Streamer as its next media streaming device. The product has a sloped, wedge-shaped design and is meant to be placed in front of a television, eschewing the dongle form factor of Chromecasts that allows them to be hidden behind televisions. The Google TV Streamer features technical upgrades, including 32 GB of storage, 4 GB of memory, a 22-percent faster CPU, and an Ethernet port, along with new smart home capabilities such as a built-in Thread border router and support for the Matter standard. Contrasting with the entry-level price point of Chromecasts, the Google TV Streamer has a higher introductory price of US$99.
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