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New Pixel casting trick sounds so cool, it’s a shame so few can use it

In This Article

In This Article

Google is reportedly rolling out a cool-sounding ‘hold close to cast’ feature that would enable users to beam content from one device to another.

The tap to cast feature was revealed at CES earlier this year as a means of casting music from Pixel Pro phones with Ultra Wideband technology built in.

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The Pixel Pro owner would be able to hold their phone next to a dockedPixel Tabletin order to transfer tunes from YouTube Music or Spotify to the better, louder speaker within said dock.

You could also transfer the music back to the phone if you were heading out of the house, say, in the same manner. The devices will need to be on the same, private Wi-Fi network

It’s been a long wait to hear more, and now it appears the feature, also known as ‘hold close to cast’ is making its way to users. As9to5Googlereports, the feature can be enabled via Settings > Google > All services > Cast options. If the feature is available, you’ll be encouraged to “reach your phone toward a Pixel Tablet to cast media.”

However, the Pixel Tablet and its optional dock haven’t been sold that widely and hasn’t been that well reviewed. You also need to have a Pro Pixel phone (6 Pro, 7 Pro, Fold, 8 Pro, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold), which are far from the best-selling Android phones out there.

Hopefully, this is just the start for the feature and Google enables it more widely across the realm of phones running on Android. Because, the ability to cast music without tapping the touchscreen several times, sounds really cool.

Are you spying the ‘hold close to cast’ feature on your devices yet? Let us know how it’s working out for you @trustedreviews on X. Unfortunately, I have neither a Pixel Pro phone or a Pixel Tablet with dock to put it to the test. I imagine many of you are in the same boat.

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Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA.  …

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Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.