What you need to know
- Leaks in recent versions of the Google Home app point toward a resurrected Chromecast Audio.
- The tag given to it is “YND,” the same tag specifically given to the Chromecast Audio before its sunset in 2019.
- The Chromecast Audio dongle could turn an ordinary speaker into a smart one.
Is Google actually trying to bring back Chromecast Audio? Some leaks in their code suggest Google may be interested in turning regular speakers into smart ones again.
Google discontinued Chromecast Audio (opens in new tab), a little dongle that turned your regular speaker into a smart one, in 2019. It’s interesting now that, in the times we’re in, Google is looking to bring that product back to some capacity.
9to5Google (opens in new tab) reported some early findings about a potential resurgence of the old standard-to-smart tech. The recent discovery comes by way of the latest versions of the Google Home app. In the Home app, the code refers to “YND,” a seemingly new device Google is making some space for.
With some more digging, it seems as though the “YND” label was once used specifically for the now deceased Chromecast Audio. This would be an interesting development should something come of these new findings in the Google Home app code. 9to5Google also refers to the Chromecast Audio’s abilities saying it, “was capable of high-resolution audio” while being hooked up to an ordinary speaker and making it “smart” with Google software. Or perhaps this is a new way of boosting audio for a new product release like the Chromecast HD with Google TV (opens in new tab).
We know about some of Google’s products that faced an import ban (opens in new tab). This was an issue with Sonos and caused some problems with Google products. If these rumored leaks about Chromecast Audio making a comeback to some degree prove to be true, this could be Google’s way of returning to external speakers.
These curious rumors in the Google Home app code leave us wondering about a potential Chromecast Audio resurrection and how it could interact with some of the best wired and wireless speakers.
