Chromecast has just become even more useful, as the latest 27946 firmware update has added support for HDMI-CEC “Deck Control” commands. This allows users to play, pause and skip through content with a regular TV remote.

HDMI-CEC enables multiple devices connected to an HDMI chain to communicate with one another, meaning that you can use your TV remote to pass commands on to other connected devices, such as Blu-ray players. Chromecast has supported this protocol since launch in order to set itself as the main input when it is turned on.

The update adds support for the additional control commands, which should work with most, if not all, media streaming apps that implement media player controls. HBO Go, Youtube, Allcast, iPlayer, Google Play Music, Plex and others are already confirmed to work. The player state is also reported back to your handset, so you can pause playback with your TV remote and resume it with your smartphone, if you so desire.

However, not all HDMI televisions support Deck Control commands. You may find that older televisions won’t allow these features to work, but most new ones should. The best way to find out is probably just to test the feature for yourself.