YouTube Music had a rough start, to say the least, but Google is steadily in the process of improving the service. The latest feature from the “Things that should have been there from the get-go” list is Chromecast support for the YouTube Music web client. As avid Redditors have spotted (via 9to5Google), a Cast button has started to appear for a few people.

YouTube Music has never supported casting from the web interface before, at least not if you didn’t want to send a full screencast of the web app over to your TV. This languishing approach to Cast support is something we’ve long criticized, especially since Google added this same capability to Play Music even before the first Chromecast was available.

Screenshot 2021-12-01 at 10.50.15

The new Cast button is tucked in the top right corner of the YouTube Music web app for the lucky few who already see it, but judging by the small number of reports, it hasn’t rolled out widely yet. We can only hope that Google will soon follow up this small test with a proper rollout for all users.

While the streaming service seems to be receiving new features only slowly recently, there’s no full stop just yet. YouTube Music has just added the option to listen to music in the background for free users in Canada, and the company has finally created a proper Wear OS app, so there is still lots of development happening behind the scenes.

We've reached out to Google to ask if and when a full rollout of the feature is planned.

UPDATE: 2021/12/01 10:46 EST BY SCOTT SCRIVENS

It's official

A month after the feature was first spotted, Google has made casting from the web with YouTube Music official via a support document. The feature is limited to Premium members, who can cast and play music from the web app on a speaker, smart display, or TV. The music will continue to play even if you close the tab, exit Chrome, or shut down your PC.

The cast icon in the YouTube Music web app will appear in the top-right corner near your profile picture. You can stop casting content by clicking on the same button. Google is taking its sweet time bringing the best Play Music features to YouTube Music, but at least it's doing so, and this feature is most welcome. If you didn't have it before, casting should be available to you by now.

YouTube Music Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
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