its new remote control would include a magic button

A new Chromecast would be planned at Google with a mysterious new remote control on the program.

It’s been three years since Google last updated its Chromecast. The latest version released in 2020 included its operating system, Google TV, for the first time, now installed natively on many televisions (Sony, LG, Samsung). If Apple has since had two new iterations of its Apple TV box, Google does not seem in such a hurry to refresh its Chromecast. However, several rumors from the corridors since the start of the year have indicated to us that a new version was in the works, with a mysterious new remote control.

A remote control and its magic button

Last January, mention of a new Google device was discovered within the code of its Google Home application. Nicknamed “YTC”, it should succeed the Chromecast with Google TV (YTV) and Chromecast HD (YTB). But since, radio silence. Until now.

The very knowledgeable Mishaal Rahman published on quite different. There are now four buttons on the left side and three buttons on the left side, one of which is more imposing than the others.

Left: the supposed new remote control. Right: the current Chromecast remote // Source: @MishaalRahman

But the big news is this new button decorated with a star. According to the documentation, its function can be chosen by the user, who can either associate it with an application of their choice (YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, etc.), or change the input on the television. Currently, two shortcut buttons allow you to directly launch YouTube and Netflix, so we would appreciate being able to at least customize this button.

If nothing is confirmed yet, we can safely imagine that Google is working on a future Chromecast integrating Google TV. In addition to the changes to the remote control, we would like an update to its technical sheet: a slightly more powerful processor and greater storage capacity. Given the little information we have on this possible new version, don’t expect to see it announced at the same time as the Pixel 8 on October 4.