Android 13 is available on eligible Google Pixel smartphones. But there is more news for everyone who has received or is about to receive milestone updates. While audio output switchers have been around on Android smartphones for a while now, it’s been discovered that Google is working on adding cast devices to the menu, allowing users to switch playback between all types of devices, not just over a Bluetooth connection and paired devices. The audio playback demo for switching devices or multiple casting devices on Android 13 devices also details how the feature works on Android 13.
According to a blog post by Esper technical editor Mishaal Rahman, Google has finally decided to restore the functionality originally set on Android 11. An update to the Google Cast SDK now shows that Android 13 can output not only to local devices (Bluetooth devices) but also to remote devices (Broadcast devices). The demo posted by Rahman shows how audio playback can switch between devices (local or remote) simultaneously or to multiple casting devices simultaneously. The new streaming extension basically lets users stream their media sessions from their phone to any casting device on their network, which could be things like smart displays or even smart speakers. Users can even add casting devices to their media sessions directly from the lock screen without unlocking their smartphones.
Google has been working on the feature for a long time, but it was never released for the reasons the search giant is best known for. However, there is an issue, and it involves app developer support.
The output switcher feature was introduced in Android 11, but since then has only shown a native option to switch audio output between Bluetooth devices such as speakers and headphones. Rahman believes that Google pulled support for the feature in 2020 after it rolled it out and spread it to developers, which is why it never took off, even with the necessary tools to implement it. Now that everything is in place again, it’s only a matter of time before applications should start supporting the stream extension feature widely, making the output switcher even more useful.
Google recently started rolling out an update to its Google Search app that lets users customize the Google Search widget directly from the home screen, rather than digging into the app’s settings. Just like the audio output switcher, the widget is not limited to Google Pixel-branded smartphones, but works on all smartphones running Android 13.
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Hazel Yu 
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