5 ways to use your Chromecast TV beyond streaming shows (including a smart home hack)

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Since 2014, Google's Chromecast has been an affordable way for viewers to turn their older model TVs into smart TVs, allowing them to stream content from their phones, tablets, and computers to a larger screen. 

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Alas, the era of the Chromecast has come to an end. Google is replacing it with the Google TV Streamer, promising a faster processor, Thread and Matter integration, and the ability to summarize TV episodes or whole seasons, among other new tricks.

However, that doesn't mean the Chromecast is obsolete yet; in fact, Google has promised to continue providing software and security updates for the time being. I discovered several cool features that anyone can utilize with their trusty Chromecast, which ...