Google has updated its incredibly popular Chromecast to add a new guest mode that allows anyone in the room to stream content to your device without having to connect to your Wi-Fi network. The Chromecast companion app for Android has also been given a Material Design makeover, while its screen casting feature is now officially in beta with support for a wider range of devices.

Guest mode is a feature many Chromecast users have been calling for, and we’ve been waiting patiently for it since Google confirmed it would be coming at Google I/O way back in June.

It allows friends to send content to your TV from their own devices without having to connect to your Wi-Fi network — which means you don’t need to share any passwords. And don’t worry about having your friends bombard your TV with content you didn’t want to see; you can disable guest mode when you’re not using it.

Guest mode uses a combination of your Chromecast’s location and Wi-Fi data to identify nearby devices, then transmits a 4-digit PIN “using a short audio tone you can’t hear.” That tone is then heard by the guest Android device and it is connected to the Chromecast. Is this method fails, the 4-digit PIN can be entered manually.

https://youtu.be/1vJC9p6bzQY

Today’s update — which comes right after Google rolled out its biggest release yet for Android Wear — also puts screen casting in official beta mode. It has been available for testing for a while, but only for a very limited number of devices — now a wider range are supported. You’ll also find that the Chromecast app for Android has a fancy new look for Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Google is rolling out the latest Chromecast release via Google Play now.

• Google Play StoreChromecast