Android 13 beta can also send audio to Cast-enabled devices

Android may support Chromecast-enabled devices in the media output menu in the near future. Users can then send all audio from their Android device over, for example, a Google Chromecast.

This specifically concerns the menu that is opened via the volume fly-out. At the moment it is only possible in that menu to switch between output via the speaker, bluetooth and 3.5mm or USB-C port. According to Android expert Mishaal Rahman that will soon change. In Android 13 QPR1 Beta 2, he discovered the aforementioned functionality. Remarkably, there have been plans to introduce the feature since Android 11, but it’s only now, with a beta of version 13, that there are actually signs that it’s coming. Rahman elaborates on this in a additional blog post on the topic.

In the video that Rahman managed to make with some experimentation, it can be seen that in addition to the above devices, Chromecasts are also included in the list. These are essentially video devices, but they can also be used as audio devices with this functionality. Equipment such as the Google Nest and Home already supported the audio output, but via the Google Home app. Presumably, those devices will also appear in the list after this update.

Rahman further speaks of a related function: Stream Expansion. This means that various devices take over the audio output from, for example, a smartphone. This feature still had quite a few bugs, but it’s obvious that it’s in the works at Google.

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

— Mishal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 14, 2022