Every few weeks it seems that Google expands the capabilities of the Chromecast TV dongle. Recently, the company rolled out a developer SDK to allow third-parties to take advantage of Cast functionality. Now Google is adding some extra Cast features to YouTube.
Private videos will now work with your Chromecast, and you can also send YouTube live streams to your Chromecast, Android Police reports. However, there’s one big caveat for live streams: they will only work if you send them from a desktop browser to your Chromecast. Google’s Android app for YouTube is still lacking Cast functionality.
According to Google’s YouTube and YouTube.com support page for Chromecast, live content won’t work, nor will videos not approved for mobile playback. Nevertheless, many users are reporting that the new functionality is working for desktop web browsers.
There’s no special magic to get a live stream working—just hit the Cast button, choose your Chromecast device, and your video will start playing back on your TV.
In December, YouTube expanded its live streaming feature to allow any verified account in good standing to start streaming live videos online. Verifying your account is a simple process that requires you to prove to YouTube that you are a live person by receiving an automated verification code via voice call or SMS.
Once that’s done—and as long as you haven’t been uploading copyrighted movies to YouTube—you’ll be able to stream live events on Google’s video site.
There’s no word on when you’ll be able to stream live videos from YouTube for Android or if the desktop functionality will stop working in the next few days. But for now, at least, you can Cast away with live video.