Google rolling out ‘Hold close to cast’ for UWB Pixel phones and Tablet

As announced with the October Pixel (Feature) Drop last week, Google is rolling out “Hold close to cast,” or tap to cast, between Pixel Pro phones and the Pixel Tablet.

Tap to cast was announced back in January at CES as part of Google’s continued work on multi-device experiences. It lets you “Reach your phone toward a Pixel Tablet to cast media.” This should be bidirectional and let you transfer a song both ways, with support for YouTube Music and Spotify originally announced. Google today notes how “Not all media apps work with this feature.”

It leverages UWB (Ultra-Wideband), among other wireless technologies, with a Pro-tier Pixel phone required — Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold — and a docked Pixel Tablet. Meanwhile, “Your devices must be on the same private Wi-Fi network to cast.”

To enable Hold close to cast, which is a clunky but technically accurate and descriptive name, go to Settings app > Google > All services > Cast options on your Pixel. 

We’re seeing this roll out with version 24.42.32 of Google Play services, but it does not appear to be widely available yet.

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