Google finally releases a Chromecast SDK

Chromecast fans may want to brace themselves for a tidal wave of new apps coming for the device in the near future.

Today, Google released a new SDK that enables developers to create their own applications for its Chromecast streaming media stick, the device that makes it easy to push what you’re doing on mobile devices to a TV screen. Google first released a preview version of the Chromecast SDK back in July. Since then, plenty of notable services have become available for the device. Yet we’ve been unable to witness the true innovative capabilities of Chromecast until now.

Google goes out of its way to emphasize that the Chromecast SDK doesn’t necessarily require developers to build an entirely new application. Developers can build Chromecast support for existing mobile apps on iOS and Android. This could bring a brand-new component to lots of popular services, and not just those that offer some form of streaming media (Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, etc.). For instance, cloud storage services like Dropbox now have the opportunity to build a video conferencing feature into their mobile apps.

With a Chromecast SDK now available, Google finally has a real chance of integrating its technology and services into the television. That’s something the company tried and failed to do with its Google TV platform, which Google is now phasing out.