Now you can use Chromecast without sharing a wifi network
Google has rolled out the latest update to its Chromecast app – and it adds some cool new functionality to the media dongle.
The big new addition is the ability to pair with a Chromecast without having to be on the same wifi network: Which is perfect if you have friends who want to show the room a video, but you don’t want to faff about with wifi codes. The way it works is that that the host Chromecast plays an ultrasonic sound, which is picked up on the microphone on the phone you want to pair too – and then then the two devices can exchange data as though they were connected via wifi. Brilliant – and if this doesn’t work, you can always use a simple PIN code.
The other big addition is the introduction of screencasting for users who are still on KitKat, which should allow you to share essentially anything that is on your phone.
Google has also given the user interface on the app a lick of paint, to make it consistent with Lollipop’s “Material Design” principles.
