--- description: Google has released a firmware update that lets Chromecast users control their streaming with a TV remote. title: One of Google's Best Devices Is Getting a Big Upgrade image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt949511c96f4fd80c/698783f606f2c1ad4a33476b/174349531.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # One of Google's Best Devices Is Getting a Big Upgrade by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2015 2:44 PM CUT  The new Google Chromecast is connected to the the back of a television during an event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, July 24, 2013. The new Google Chromecast is connected to the the back of a television during an event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, July 24, 2013.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2015 2:44 PM CUT Google’s Chromecast is a quick and cheap way to stream video on your TV from an Internet-connected device. You plug in the Chromecast dongle, and you can watch almost anything on your television that you could watch on your smartphone or laptop. But controlling Chromecast video on the TV usually means hunting back through your laptop or smartphone to press pause, play or pick some new content. No more: Google has released a firmware update that lets Chromecast users control their streaming with a TV remote. Apps including YouTube, Netflix, ESPN, Play Music, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer and TuneIn Radio are all supported, the [Verge](http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/17/8230549/chromecast-tv-remote-support-hdmi-cec "undefined") reports. The downside is that you can only use the play and pause buttons — also, some TVs may not be supported. Happy watching. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3747470/google-chromecast-remote/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3747470/google-chromecast-remote/"},"headline":"One of Google's Best Devices Is Getting a Big Upgrade","datePublished":"2015-03-17T14:44:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:04:40.264Z","description":"Your TV remote can now control your Chromecast","url":"https://time.com/3747470/google-chromecast-remote/","keywords":["Tech","Television","Gadgets","Google","Chromecast","streaming"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt949511c96f4fd80c/698783f606f2c1ad4a33476b/174349531.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt949511c96f4fd80c/698783f606f2c1ad4a33476b/174349531.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Google Unveils Updated Nexus 7 in Push Against Apple, Microsoft","caption":"Google Unveils Updated Nexus 7 in Push Against Apple, Microsoft","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3747470/google-chromecast-remote/","name":"One of Google's Best Devices Is Getting a Big Upgrade"}}]}] ```