Fast Pair was first announced for Google TV back in early 2022, but there’s a good chance you still don’t have it today. As it turns out, the feature has quietly been limited to just a handful of devices, though it could expand at any point.
When Google first announced Fast Pair for Google TV (and Android TV, since that was still relevant at the time), the company teased the feature broadly, and even confirmed a partnership with TCL for support. But as months went by, it never showed up. As a refresher, Fast Pair is a feature that works across Android devices, ChromeOS, and compatible headphones to allow for easy pairing through an on-screen pop-up, as well as the ability to quickly switch headphones between devices.
It wasn’t until January 2024, two years later, that Google re-announced the feature, but only said it was coming to Chromecast at first. The feature did finally arrive in February of that year, but the promise of “more Google TV devices” gaining support never really rang true.
So, what’s going on?
As it turns out, Fast Pair for Google TV is an optional feature for each device, meaning it has to be enabled on a device-by-device basis. A flag for that support was spotted by Android Authority, with the Google Play Console helping to reveal that, as it stands today, just four Google TV devices support Fast Pair.
Google TV devices with Fast Pair support:
- Chromecast with Google TV
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD)
- Google TV Streamer
- Walmart Onn 4K Plus
Google, speaking to AA, confirmed that this list is indeed correct and that only these four Google TV devices support the feature. Google added, though, that device makers can choose to enable Fast Pair, and that Google is actively working with its partners to enable support on more devices.
This helps to shed some light on why the Fast Pair rollout was so weird, but it remains strange that such a requirement is needed in the first place. Whatever the case, we certainly hope to see more Fast Pair-enabled TVs in the future.
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