u/mocelet

The Chromecast with Google TV 4K received time ago Google Home controls but back then it was not a Matter controller, i.e. was not a "hub for Google Home" like the Google Streamer. It is not listed either on the official list of hubs for Google Home.

(Don't confuse it with Thread border router, only the Streamer has that feature since the Chromecast has no Thread radio)

I might have missed an announcement, but turns out my CCwGTV 4K IS a Matter controller now.

The realization came wanting to test what happened when adding a device without a Matter controller / hub available. I added a Matter light fine (expected since the app does the onboarding) but, more surprisingly, was able to control it (unexpected).

At first I thought that maybe Google Home app finally added Matter controller features to use without hub like Apple Home or Smart Life apps do, this would have been such a killer feature!

Then I thought, could it be the Chromecast? And, yeah, I unplugged the Chromecast and the light went offline in Google Home. I plugged the Chromecast later, and the light went back online. Confirmed.

This is the first public update to the device and was certified days ago, it is not a test version.

It is already available in the main Matter DCL so platforms can fetch it. I had to use Home Assistant to update it since did not appear in SmartThings yet. Initial findings:

• There are no release notes but consider it a "Stability improvement".
• Matter version is now 1.4 and it's compliant with the specification (unlike the test version).
• Battery reporting is still weird since it reports 45% for fully charged NiMH batteries whereas other devices like MYGGSPRAY or older Zigbee remotes would report 90%.
• Multipress support is officially still limited to double press. Remember BILRESA scroll wheel supports triple press and extending the multipress would be "free". Meanwhile, if you use SmartThings, with my custom driver you can emulate the triple-tap, in fact it works better now that the button is compatible with Matter 1.4.