Google is planning to add Bluetooth to a new Chromecast dongle

Sharp-eyed Google watchers have noticed a rather interesting development over at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US – specifically that Google has registered a new Chromecast device with Bluetooth support.

Now before you start dreaming about using Bluetooth headphones with your Chromecast or maybe beaming audio in the other direction, we don't know anything about this new dongle yet. It's not particularly clear what Google is planning with this Bluetooth support, and it's made no official announcement yet.

What is clear is that this is a new Chromecast – existing devices won't get Bluetooth support, so Google must be intending to show off something new soon. That said, it looks like an upgraded version of the second-gen Chromecast, not the Chromecast Ultra.

All eyes on I/O

It's even possible that the updated Chromecast is going to work with Bluetooth keyboards and gamepads, but at the moment this is all just speculation. For an FCC filing to be registered, though, this is a device that's quite far down the road to a launch.

When will we get more details? As it so happens, Google has a big developer conference happening next week in the shape of Google I/O 2018. The company likes to show off new hardware devices and software updates at I/O each year, so it's possible that we'll get information about a Bluetooth Chromecast then.

In the meantime, maybe hold off on a Chromecast purchase if you're thinking about getting one in the next few weeks – it's likely that an improved version of the dongle is launching in the near future.