Google now allows voice sharing of video and audio between devices

The announcement was made on 8 October during the roll-out of Stream Transfer. The new feature allows users to easily move music, videos, podcasts, and more between compatible devices using their voice.

The Stream Transfer feature has been in development since 2018 but the visual implementation for smart displays had not been finalised. In August, the company enabled Stream Transfer for a few of its Nest Hub users as a testing phase. Rolled out in 2018, the Google Nest Hub is a smart feature that offers users helpful services from commanding smart home items in the household to music playback.

“Now that millions of users have multiple TVs, smart speakers and smart displays (some in every room!) we wanted to make it easy for people to control their media as they moved from room to room,” Google says. “Start playing music on the Google Home Mini in your kitchen, and keep the vibe going in the living room. Just say, 'Hey Google, move the music to the living room speaker.'

“Stream Transfer is compatible with your favourite audio apps, including YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, and more. For video, you can enjoy the millions of videos available on YouTube.”

Stream Transfer also allows users listening to music or podcasts to transfer their music from a single speaker to a speaker group if they have grouped speakers via the Google Home app. This makes it possible to preview a song on one speaker and then share it with the rest.

According to Variety, Google will bring Stream Transfer to third-party smart displays in the coming months, and on additional devices, including Android TVs, in the future.