The Chromecast with Google TV that we are aware of right now has been available since 2020 and is due for an upgrade. That may soon be the case, as the Android TV 14 Beta appears to reveal what appears to be a brand-new Chromecast remote for Google TV.
This week, the latest Android TV 14 Beta quietly went live in the Android Studio emulator. Inside of it is a video of a new remote that almost certainly belongs to a new Chromecast that works with Google TV. The top-mounted navigation pad and distinctive rounded shape are virtually identical to the existing remote, but there are significant modifications here.
Under its D-pad are eight buttons for back, Assistant, Home, mute, YouTube, Netflix, and TV power and input on the current Chromecast with Google TV remote. The volume controls are fixed to the remote’s right side.
There are two round buttons under the D-pad, probably still for Assistant and back. We would speculate that the three additional buttons on the left side are for home, mute, and one of the two app shortcuts. However, to one side, there’s a greater button that, in light of its shape, is in all likelihood a volume rocker.
A brand-new button with a star icon that runs along the bottom might be more interesting. In the system files, this icon is referred to as “magic,” and a brief animation focuses on it. Even though that is all that the existing files show us, it is pretty clear that this has to do with the custom shortcut that first appeared in 2021 and appears to still exist in Android TV 14.
This remote is probably our first look at a new Chromecast with Google TV, which we said was coming soon a few months ago. In any case, there’s no immediate proof in this Android 14 form highlighting the new gadget.
A brand-new Chromecast is definitely something to anticipate, despite the fact that its arrival date is unknown. Android TV 14 has only received its second update this week, so it is still in beta. At the very least, there won’t be a new Chromecast at the Pixel launch event in October.