Google TV devices are getting some handy new features. AtCEStoday, Google announced that starting soon, you’ll be able to connect supported headphones andearbudsto your Chromecast with Google TV using Fast Pair, and that some smart TVs will soon be able to act as Matter hubs for controlling connected gadgets through the Google Home app.
How to use Google TV
How to use Google’s version of Plex
Fast Pair is coming to Chromecast
Fast Pair is a Google feature that allows supported accessories to connect to Android phones, Android tablets, and Chromebooks without any digging in the device’s Bluetooth settings. Google actually announced that Fast Pair would be coming to Google TVearly last year, saying at the time that the feature would be available in the “coming months.”
Loosely interpreted, the company is still technically hitting that mark: Chromecast with Google TV devices should be getting Fast Pair in the next month or so. Google says that “more Google TV devices” will get Fast Pair “later this year.” That phrasing’s a little harder to wriggle out of, so here’s hoping Google makes good on it this time.
Smart TVs will soon be Matter hubs
Matter is coming toGoogle TV, too — though not the Chromecast with Google TV. According to Google, both LG smart TVs and “select Google TV and other Android TV OS devices” will soon be able to function asMatterhubs, connecting all your Matter-compatible smart home gadgets to the Google Home app for easy control.
Google gave an even vaguer tentative timeline for this feature, saying only that it’s coming “soon.” Plenty of devices you might already own — including several Google’s, like the Nest Audio and second-gen Nest Hub — can already function as Matter hubs, but hey, having more options is rarely a bad thing.
Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
The cheap-and-cheerful Chromecast with Google TV will soon be the first Google TV device to support Fast Pair for hassle-free pairing of supported accessories like certain headphones and earbuds.
