UPDATED 14:10 EST / JULY 05 2016

NEWS

Google Chrome will now let you cast tabs without an extension

Streaming your Chrome browser tabs to Chromecast is about to get a lot easier with the new Chrome 51 update, as you will now be able to cast tabs natively without having to download the Google Cast extension.

The new update is in the process of rolling out now, so some users may already notice the new “Cast…” option when right-clicking a tab in Chrome. If you already have your Chromecast device set up, you simply need to choose the Cast option from your tab and then follow the instructions to get the new feature working.

Google Chrome tab cast

While the new feature will make tab casting about as straightforward as it can be, it will also give users less control over the experience, as they will no longer be able to manually set options like bitrate, video quality, or video resolution. Instead, Chrome will automatically choose each of these settings for you based on your bandwidth. For most users, this likely will not be a problem and may even be a welcome change, but a few users may miss the level of control previously offered by the Google Cast extension.

According to Google, the new feature will also allow users to mirror their Chrome tabs to Google Hangouts, which will make it easier to share your browser screen with other users. In order to use this feature, you will need to enable Cloud Services in your Chrome settings. After doing this, Hangouts will show up in your list of available devices to stream your tabs.

Photo by JeepersMedia 

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