Google Blocks Chromecast App That Allowed You to Stream Your Own Videos, AirPlay-Style

So this is weird. Back when Chromecast was announced, I wrote that it doesn’t do something that Google made it seem like it did — stream video directly from your phone (or tablet) like AirPlay. But then it ends up it was capable of something like AirPlay, but it required a third-party app, so I linked to it.

But now Google has removed the API that made this possible. I don’t get it. I mean, no one loves to make “open always wins” jokes at Google’s expense like I do — I really enjoy pointing out the instances where Google, the self-professed corporate king of openness really isn’t open at all. But here I just don’t get it. Why block this? What am I missing?

Update: The consensus is that the app was using private APIs; it’s not so much that the app has been banned but that, as I speculated weeks ago, there is no supported way to make this work at present. Utterly reasonable behavior from Google, but, well, not exactly “open”.

★ Monday, 26 August 2013