Google is readying the 2018 version of its popular beaming device, Chromecast with Bluetooth support. The upcoming device has now surfaced on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification site, and the listing revealed the support of 2.4GHz Bluetooth along with the legacy Bluetooth Low Energy capabilities. So far, Google released two iterations of Chromecast, but none of them offered Bluetooth support, so it's good to see Google adding the support finally. Also, it's one of the most requested features by Chromecast users since the release of first-generation Chromecast.
The certification listing was spotted by 9to5Google. And the Bluetooth support on Chromecast will make up for various new features such as remote, Bluetooth audio playback, gamepad control and more. That said, the listing did not reveal what's Google planning with the new wireless technology addition.
Its been a while since Google launched a Chromecast device; The last Chromecast was launched back in 2015, and it was the second-generation Chromecast. This would be the third-generation Chromecast. Furthermore, the documents also revealed that the existing Chromecast devices wouldn't receive legacy Bluetooth operations. “For clarity, devices bearing FCC ID A4RNC2-6A5 will not receive the software update to enable legacy Bluetooth operations,” a letter sent by Google to FCC reads. And the FCC ID refers to the 2015 Chromecast device.
Having said that, Google will not reveal the 2018 Chromecast at the upcoming Google I/O Developer Conference event which commences tomorrow. But Google is reportedly planning a similar TV product to show at the event.
Back in April, a Google-branded Android TV stick device with the Chromecast-like design was spotted on FCC website, but the listing was pulled off immediately, after media houses picking up the story. But nothing is confirmed for now from Google's end.
Tomorrow, Google will be holding its I/O event Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. The possible announcements from Google will be Android P Developer Preview 2 along with several new features revelation, Android TV dongle by Google, iterative upgrade to Wear OS & Chrome OS and several other new products are expected to be unveiled.
