The other day, while I was listening to the “Android Developers Backstage” Podcast, my Pixel vibrated and asked me to “Bring Pixel closer to Tablet”. Of course, I followed my pocket Android’s instructions and Voilà! “Tap to Cast” automagically casted the podcast to my Pixel Tablet. You can see below:

View on Threads

You might’ve see this already posted on Threads and BlueSky (which took forever to upload btw), but I thought it was so cool! I heard about the feature when it was announced, but I never knew when it would reach my devices. It was a nice surprise. Especially when it was a happenstance instead of, like I used to, spam the update button to get the latest features. I need to take on that practice more. See the feature announced and go about my day, not angrily spam the “update” button and shake my fist at the clouds like a mad man, trying to force the feature to my devices.

I digress. Abner at 9to5Google explained it best back in January, 2024:

When listening with YouTube Music or Spotify, bringing your Pixel 6 Pro, 7 Pro, 8 Pro, or Fold – which all have UWB (Ultra-Wideband) – near a docked Pixel Tablet will seamlessly move what’s playing between devices. This is bidirectional with the ability to transfer a song from the Pixel Tablet to your Pixel phone also available.

Officially, Google is using a “range of technologies to determine the proximity and presence of devices as part of multi-device experiences, which includes UWB.” Its Cross device SDK was announced in 2022 and consists of three layers:

  • “The first layer recognizes what devices are physically close by, with wireless technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, and ultra-wideband (UWB).”
  • “The second layer is nearby device discovery and context-aware capabilities that identify which device you may want to use based on your current activity.”
  • “Finally, the third layer understands and adjusts actions based on how you interact with your devices with cross-device intelligence.”

Google went as far to explain that “Tap to Cast” is available without any additional work if developers integrate Output Switcher (2.0) on Android 14. Right now, it’s only available with YouTube Music and Spotify with UWB enabled Pixel devices like my Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel Tablet. It’s nice to know that this isn’t an exclusive Pixel feature so more hardware and apps could be supported in the future!