Chromecast is now officially open for developers
Big news came out of Mountain View earlier this morning, as Google announced on its official Chrome blog that the Chromecast SDK is now officially open for developers. As a result, users should expect a bunch of apps to add Chromecast capabilities in the coming days and weeks, as Google has finally gotten out of the developers’ way.
When the Chromecast was first announced last July, Google kept the SDK in a closed beta, only allowing a select few apps like Netflix and YouTube to have access. In the following months, more apps like Hulu Plus and HBO Go were granted access as well. In the meantime, other developers were able to access a preview version of the SDK, although they weren’t allowed to publish their apps. While many end users were frustrated by this, Google needed the time to gather feedback and improve compatibility and performance.
Users don’t need to do anything to prepare. Google has pushed out a Play Services update that allows anyone the ability to take advantage of Chromecast compatibility, regardless of what version of Android they are running. Chromecast dongles themselves also recently received an update to get them ready for the new SDK. Just make sure to keep your apps up to date through the Play Store, and keep an eye out for that Chromecast icon to start appearing in your existing apps.
[Google]
