It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chromecast creep deeper into Google’s mobile ecosystem. The $35 dongle instantly became a hit when it was released late last year, with Google selling “millions” of units in the U.S. alone. Earlier this week it finally released Chromecast in nearly a dozen international markets. Some Android users, who have newer Motorola or Nexus devices, report that a “Cast Screen” button is showing up in Quick Settings. It doesn’t do anything right now, but its possible that the feature is incomplete at this stage.
In most cases, users who have spotted this button are running Android 4.4 KitKat. Moreover, it seems to appear if certain Chromecast enabled apps are launched, such as AllCast. No one has been able to make sense of what it actually does, presumably its triggering an incomplete casting feature, but as of now this native screen casting feature hasn’t been made able to work.
It possible that further down the road Google might allow users to mirror their Android display to a TV through Chromecast. While there are solutions available to do that, nevertheless a universal casting trigger will eliminate the need for third party apps or standalone apps that beam local content to Chromecast. We’ll have to wait and see if and when this feature is completed.
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