Google’s Chromecast devices have offered a little-known feature called ‘Guest Mode’ for some time, which made it easy for visitors to cast content to a device without needing a Wi-Fi connection. The feature came over to Google Home displays and speakers, but it appears to have been removed.
Android Police spotted the change, noting that while Chromecast devices still have access to Guest Mode, Google Home and Nest smart displays and speakers don’t. Further, it appears Guest Mode isn’t available for third-party Assistant speakers and displays or Android TVs, but it’s not clear if that’s a recent change or if Guest Mode was always limited for those devices.
Google launched Guest Mode back in December 2014 on Chromecast devices. Through the combined use of location proximity and Wi-Fi availability, it could allow guests to connect to nearby Chromecast devices with a specific PIN code instead of requiring access to the local Wi-Fi network. Sharing a four-digit PIN is much easier than trying to connect visitors to a Wi-Fi network, after all.
Previously, users could access the feature by opening the Google Home app on their smartphone and selecting any Cast-enabled device. Then, tap the settings icon (a gear) in the top right corner to access the ‘Device settings’ page and under the ‘Device info’ section was the ‘Guest Mode’ setting. From there, users can enable the feature and see the device’s PIN.
Unfortunately, that menu option is only available on Chromecast devices now.
On top of that, it seems Google removed the support page for Guest Mode on Nest and Home speakers. The Chromecast support page is still present. Android Police reports that the latest cached version of the page is from October 3oth, 2019, so Google likely removed the page and the feature via a firmware sometime after that.
Source: Android Police
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