Google wants to let you use your phone as a Googlebook trackpad

Do you ever think of your phone as a remote control? We already use our phones to control countless other devices through the apps they connect to, but somehow that feels like a different class of interaction entirely. Maybe the closest example of employing a phone as a straight-up remote is something like the Google TV control offered through that app and Google Home, letting us operate smart TVs with a phone’s touchscreen. And now we’re getting an early look at where Google could be trying this same sort of approach next.

Right now, Googlebook laptops are waiting for us just over the horizon, offering an alternative to Chromebooks that’s built on an Android foundation. We’ve already been previewing what features to expect from them thanks to some early app leaks, and now we’ve got one more to add to the growing list.

Digging through version 1.0.1283.974003524 of Google’s Cross-Device Services system app, we’re finding an in-development “Cast trackpad” tool that appears designed to let you use your phone’s touchscreen to control other hardware — and between the utility of it and the timing involved, it’s possible this could be intended for Googlebook access.

You won’t find this visible on your own phone just yet, but as you can see, the feature will support basic gesture controls to differentiate between inputs, letting you point at as well as interact with screen objects. In addition to the trackpad, we also see discrete buttons for “back,” as well as volume controls. And then we have sensitivity settings which will let you dial-in responsiveness to your liking.

As for what you might use a feature like this for, maybe you’ve got your Googlebook hooked up to a projector to share a presentation; with this tool, you could easily not just advance slides, but also switch things up and jump into a different app, all from the other side of the room.

Why are we seeing potential Googlebook controls alongside a reference to casting? Remember: We already know that Cast My Apps will be a Googlebook feature that allows us to access apps from our phones, so this just feels like that working in the opposite direction.

In fact, we’ve also spotted a couple more hidden screens in this release that make direct reference to that functionality, helping users get app casting started:

Apple’s already got a head start on Google when it comes to seamlessly connecting interactions between phones and computers, so it will be very interesting to see just how well Google’s own attempt here manages to measure up. With Googlebooks on their way from multiple manufacturers this fall, it won’t be long at all now before we get a chance to see for ourselves.