This £30 gadget will change the way YOU listen to music at home

The Chromecast Audio has a circular design and small grooves, like a vinyl record

GOOGLE has unveiled a brand-new addition to the Chromecast range. Dubbed Chromecast Audio, the little gadget hopes to update your home audio system.

 

Google revolutionised beaming content from smartphones to TVs back in 2013 with the Chromecast – a small HDMI dongle with an impulse-buy price-tag that used any iOS or Android smartphone to stream movies and TV shows to your big screen.

And now Google has set its sights on music streaming around the home.

 

The US firm has unveiled the Chromecast Audio – a small and colourful new gadget plugs directly into the 3.5mm headphone jack of any speaker (the standard audio port Apple has suddenly taken a dislike to!)

Once connected, the Chromecast Audio allows the speaker to stream music over wifi.

This offers higher quality than Bluetooth, as well as a larger range around the home.

Wifi speakers have become increasingly popular in recent years and a number of companies, like Sonos, have found success selling a range of wireless speakers that link across the home.

Unlike the Sonos, the Chromecast Audio will not initially be able to stream to multiple speakers at once – although a Google spokesperson reassured NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com.uk that the functionality would be added in an over-the-air update very soon.

 

Google's new gadget is a great way to update a house full of older, unconnected speakers

The updated Chromecast Audio comes in a range of colours

Users can pick and choose between multiple connected speakers, but that requires a £30 Chroemcast Audio dongle per speaker.

Google announced the Chromecast Audio device alongside a newly-updated Chromecast video streaming HDMI dongle and new Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X smartphones.

A number of apps on iOS and Android have already been updated to support the new audio-port dongle, including Spotify.

If your favourite app has not yet pushed out a Chromecast update, Android users can mirror their audio from the entire device, similar to casting a screen on a Chrome tab.

 

If you already have a Bluetooth speaker, the Chromecast Audio probably doesn't sound like a major innovation.

But if you have a home filled with older, wired speakers – then Google's new device could be a cost-effective way to update your old systems.

The Google Chromecast now accounts for some 19 per cent of all household streaming devices.

Google clearly hopes to recreate the success in the household audio market. Chromecast Audio is now on sale in the UK Google Store for £30.