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One of the more notable changes to come to Android 13 was the new output switcher. It let you choose which devices you want to stream audio or video to, whether it be a Chromecast device or a set of headphones. This addition is still rather new, and services are still picking up on it. Now, according to Mishaal Rahman (via Android Police), YouTube and YouTube Music are the first apps to use this new Android 13 output switcher.
Using Android 12 and Android 13, you can easily choose which device you want the cast to using the nifty output switcher. It’s a menu with all of your connected devices, and it allows you to simply tap on the device that you want the cast to. The music will then instantly start streaming on that device. Also, you can adjust the volume of each device from that menu.
YouTube and YouTube Music now support the new Android 13 output switcher
A concept like this isn’t completely new, as LG had a similar function to this and its phones for a few years; however, you couldn’t adjust the volume on the devices. Now, stock Android has its own take on this concept. It’s up to third-party companies to make their applications compatible with the new output switcher at this point.
It should come as no surprise that YouTube and YouTube Music are early to adopt this, as these are first-party Google applications. With the new output switcher, Google did a bit of a revamp. Instead of having large material You-esque buttons that acted as volume sliders, we see the device’s icon next to a separate volume bar and, above that, the name of the device.
Dunno if it's known, but this feature started rolling to me today. It works with YouTube music and YouTube so far. pic.twitter.com/vQNGrGUd74
— farofas pinduca (@DTHayakawa) December 13, 2022
What’s neat about this Edition is that you don’t only get access to connected devices like headphones, but you can also choose which Chromecast device you want to use as well. That’s the main new addition of this feature. You can quickly connect to different Google TV or other Chromecast devices rather than having to separately go to the casting menu in the app.
It’s nice to see this new feature, and hopefully, more third-party companies will pick us up. As for YouTube, it’s currently rolling out. This means that you may or may not see it just yet.