New Pixel casting trick sounds so cool, it’s a shame so few can use it

Google is reportedly rolling out a cool-sounding ‘hold close to cast’ feature that would enable users to beam content from one device to another.

The tap to cast feature was revealed at CES earlier this year as a means of casting music from Pixel Pro phones with Ultra Wideband technology built in.

The Pixel Pro owner would be able to hold their phone next to a docked Pixel Tablet in order to transfer tunes from YouTube Music or Spotify to the better, louder speaker within said dock.

You could also transfer the music back to the phone if you were heading out of the house, say, in the same manner. The devices will need to be on the same, private Wi-Fi network

It’s been a long wait to hear more, and now it appears the feature, also known as ‘hold close to cast’ is making its way to users. As 9to5Google reports, the feature can be enabled via Settings > Google > All services > Cast options. If the feature is available, you’ll be encouraged to “reach your phone toward a Pixel Tablet to cast media.”

However, the Pixel Tablet and its optional dock haven’t been sold that widely and hasn’t been that well reviewed. You also need to have a Pro Pixel phone (6 Pro, 7 Pro, Fold, 8 Pro, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold), which are far from the best-selling Android phones out there.

Hopefully, this is just the start for the feature and Google enables it more widely across the realm of phones running on Android. Because, the ability to cast music without tapping the touchscreen several times, sounds really cool.

Are you spying the ‘hold close to cast’ feature on your devices yet? Let us know how it’s working out for you @trustedreviews on X. Unfortunately, I have neither a Pixel Pro phone or a Pixel Tablet with dock to put it to the test. I imagine many of you are in the same boat.