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Google Gives Chromecast Users More Image Options

One of the nice things about Google’s Chromecast other than its incredibly attractive price tag, is that it keeps getting better on its own thanks to both Google’s own updates and increasi...
Google Gives Chromecast Users More Image Options
Written by Chris Crum
  • One of the nice things about Google’s Chromecast other than its incredibly attractive price tag, is that it keeps getting better on its own thanks to both Google’s own updates and increasing adoption from other apps.

    Google announced one of its own updates today, enabling users to tap into a wider variety of pictures for the images that appear on the Chromecast screen while you’re not watching something. Historically, Google has determined what images you see. They are admittedly pretty pleasing to look at in general, but they lack the personalization that comes with the user being able to choose what they want to be displayed.

    Apparently a lot of people have requested such a feature, and now they have it.

    There’s a new backdrop option. You can use your own photo albums from Google+, artwork from galleries and museums from the Google Cultural Institute, “news and lifestyle” images from The New York Times, The Guardian, Saveur, etc. (U.S. only), satellite imagery from Google Earth/Maps, or other photos from the Google+ community.

    To customize your experience, open the Chromecast app on your phone or tablet, and select the “Backdrop” option from the left menu. There, you can tell Google want you want to use.

    You can learn more information about the pictures you’re seeing by going to the Chromecast app and tapping on the card under “Backdrop” or even asking the Google app “What’s on my Chromecast?” with a voice command.

    This whole Google thing is really all starting to come together, isn’t it?

    The update is rolling out. More on setting up Backdrop here.

    Image via Google

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