Forget Wi-Fi for your Chromecast connectivity needs, as Google has found a more interesting way to pair the dongle with nearby devices for streaming purposes, GigaOm reports. The Chromecast team has figured out how to use inaudible ultrasonic sounds to pair the entertainment device with supported smartphones and tablets.
The new pairing feature will do away with the mandatory Wi-Fi connection that’s currently needed to control the Chromecast from a mobile device, allowing Chromecast owners to share control of their dongles with family and friends without laborious setups.
The TV-connected Chromecast will emit a unique ultrasonic sound through the TV’s speakers, which will be picked up by nearby mobile devices, but not humans. This is how a connection is established. The publication says that manually pairing the two devices will also involve a four-digit pin that’s displayed on the TV screen. Once pairing is achieved, the smartphone or tablet user can start sending content to the Chromecast device.
Google talked about off-network casting support during the Google I/O 2014 opening keynote on Wednesday, Chromecast engineering manager John Affaki explained a presentation on Thursday how the ultrasonic connection works. Google’s goal is to make the social use of Chromecast a lot easier than it currently is.
It’s not clear though when the new connectivity option will be available to Chromecast users.
