Android Central: Google Cast is becoming 'Chromecast built-in'

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Google Cast is becoming 'Chromecast built-in'

New branding should make it clearer that standalone dongles, and devices with integrated casting, all belong to the same ecosystem.

Google is phasing out the "Google Cast" brand for devices with casting support built in, Variety reports. The move comes shortly after the launch of Google Home and Chromecast Ultra, the company's latest products with casting support. Right now the Google Cast site refers to both names — the old Google Cast and the new Chromecast built-in.

Yesterday the official Google Cast Twitter account became "Google Chromecast" — @Chromecast.

@GoogleCast is now @Chromecast.

The branding change won't alter how ~~Google Cast~~ Chromecast works, but it will make it clearer to consumers that their existing Chromecast dongle, and their fancy new TV with Cast built-in, and that Google Home they might be thinking about buying, all belong to the same ecosystem. It's the latest move in a branding back-and-forth that's been going on since the first Chromecast dongle was first unveiled back in 2013.

It's understandable how Google might have resisted including "Chrome" in the name, since the Chrome browser is no longer central to how many people cast stuff. (It's way easier to control what you cast with a phone or tablet.) Getting rid of the "Google" in Google Cast might seem counterproductive to the firm's recent efforts to establish itself as a big player in hardware. Nevertheless, it makes sense to push "Chromecast" — already the name of a highly successful product — as the single brand for everything using the technology.