Google’s 10-year-old Chromecast is busted, but a fix is coming
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If Google had any sense at all, they'd open source the second gen Chromecasts. As TFA notes, there's lot of them and they're very useful for a lot of purposes. Let the users keep them alive if Google doesn't want to.
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but then they can't sell people an inferior and ad filled replacement
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It feels like some of these issues are getting more and more basic. A 10 year cert expiring certainly should have been on someones calendar to resolve I would think.
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You simply do not get promoted or get decent raises if you are a maintainer. Everyone wants to work on new features as that is the only path towards career progression.
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I'm sure someone did, then they laughed about a piece of Google hardware still functioning 10 later and deleted it.
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I'd gladly buy a new Chromecast Audio... or would it be called a Google Home Audio 2 (6th gen)? Either way, something with a little more processing power would be nice. It's such an easy way to make a simple stereo more "smart."
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And this right here is why the Chromecast is on borrowed time, even if the current bricking of the Gen 2 devices is unintentional. Eventually Google is going to push some update to the cast protocol that will break these old devices and push to more ad and revenue friendly experiences or apps
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I have three Chromecast Ultras in my household, so I am watching this development very closely.
Many modern TVs announce themselves as Chromecast devices when connected to your home network. But for different reasons, they're just not as reliable as the seperate devices.
Example: I have a Samsung The Frame 2021 model in my living room. It supports Chromecast. But it does a ton of silly things when you cast to it, such as imposing unwanted PiP mode, or occasionally not working correctly with iPhones. One might assume that a 2021 device was superior to a 2016 device. But clearly that's not the case.
So yeah. We still use the 2016 Chromecast Ultras around the house. Even for new TVs. It's a good bet they have (or would have) the same problem in 2026. So whatever fix Google offers to Gen2 devices is probably the same as we will get "sometime later".
Many modern TVs announce themselves as Chromecast devices when connected to your home network. But for different reasons, they're just not as reliable as the seperate devices.
Example: I have a Samsung The Frame 2021 model in my living room. It supports Chromecast. But it does a ton of silly things when you cast to it, such as imposing unwanted PiP mode, or occasionally not working correctly with iPhones. One might assume that a 2021 device was superior to a 2016 device. But clearly that's not the case.
So yeah. We still use the 2016 Chromecast Ultras around the house. Even for new TVs. It's a good bet they have (or would have) the same problem in 2026. So whatever fix Google offers to Gen2 devices is probably the same as we will get "sometime later".
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Mungus the Unhyphenated
Ars Tribunus Militum
I have to wonder how many other IoT devices are running on similarly borrowed time.
Also, yet another case of how certs can be a double-edged sword.
Also, yet another case of how certs can be a double-edged sword.
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This hit me on Sunday with a bunch of others. 1 Gen2 and 3 Audios. My Ultra is working fine. I of course reset them all and couldn't move forward with the setup. One workaround is to back date your phone to before the 9th. Then you can proceed through setup. After setup the devices will be back to the "offline" state, but they will at least be on your WiFi and ready for any updates.
It sounds like the update will need to happen to the Home App first though.
It sounds like the update will need to happen to the Home App first though.
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I noticed this last night. I stopped using my Chromecast some time ago, but left it plugged in as an on/off switch for my TV. With the Chromecast attached and linked to GoogleHome, I just holler "Hey Google, turn off TV" every night.
Alas, last night nothing happened. GHome couldn't see the Chromecast. I fiddled for 5 minutes, found the TV remote and figured I'd spend tonight trying to troubleshoot.
I guess it's back to using an actual remote and pressing a button, like an animal.
Alas, last night nothing happened. GHome couldn't see the Chromecast. I fiddled for 5 minutes, found the TV remote and figured I'd spend tonight trying to troubleshoot.
I guess it's back to using an actual remote and pressing a button, like an animal.
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Just having it on someone's calendar seems like exactly how this sort of thing happens. A lot goes on in 10 years and it's pretty common for people to not still be around after 10 years. Even if they are still around many people will have changed positions and have different responsibilities so they may not be in a position to take care of the issue anymore. Handling this well requires a system that actually tracks it and makes it easy to not loose track of it as turnover happens and assign it to who ever is the appropriate person to handle it when it actually needs to be taken care of. Maybe part of the bug tracking/feature reqs system etc.
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Sad. Chromecast is easily one of Google's best and most reliable products.
It doesn't want your data, no special ads, cross-platform, no AI...
...yeah, I just wrote out why it'll die a quiet death, didn't I?
It doesn't want your data, no special ads, cross-platform, no AI...
...yeah, I just wrote out why it'll die a quiet death, didn't I?
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I have one of these for my older small flat screen in my bedroom. I have a more modern smart TV for the living room, and the older small TV is mostly only useful for casting from my phone to the chromecast.
That's another reason why Chromecast was so popular, it turned pre-smart TVs into smart TVs, and in a world where internet streaming is the new cable, it's not just the chromecast dongle itself that's bricked by this.
That's another reason why Chromecast was so popular, it turned pre-smart TVs into smart TVs, and in a world where internet streaming is the new cable, it's not just the chromecast dongle itself that's bricked by this.
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I'm surprised that the chromecast audio has kept being supported for this long after being discontinued. Hopefully they won't just let it die, its been one of my favorite google devices. It stinks that afaik there still isn't an equivalent that isn't either around $100 or requires a pi and ideally a dac.
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Not to disagree with your comment, but any one of the Google TV dongles have just as good Cast implementations. If you needed a "modern" Chromecast, you could get one of them and simply not use the remote.
It's slightly wasteful, but no worse than all modern TVs having smart features, even for people who just want a dumb display.
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I have a strange suspicion that Google - and everyone there - have simply forgotten about this device in day-to-day management. Yeah, maybe someone had a calendar item, but if the company has completely "moved on," there won't be any process to update the certificate in place anymore, and nobody with doing so as part of their job anymore.
EDIT: Ninja'd by evan_s. Yeah, what he said.
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Google bricked my V2s several years back when they pushed a firmware update that was incompatible with my (and a lot of other peoples') wifi.
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Yep. When's the last time they pushed an update? I'm sure there's no one still responsible for doing updates.
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I'd kill for another Chromecast Audio. It was discontinued when I was broke and as much as I knew it would be futureproofing for a while I just didn't have the money (same with the Steam Controller). Small, bespoke devices that do one thing well keep getting pushed out for these all in one devices that turn to crap or have so many issues with edge cases that it's never worth it.
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I have a Chromecast audio, it is the oldest bit of modern "tech" I have. This is sort of crazy to me given how at odds that is with Google's reputation.
Hope they fix it soon. It has been a good run.
Hope they fix it soon. It has been a good run.
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I had one of the modern ones with the remote, but eventually went back to the dongle dangling off the TV and gave away the modern one. I forget the specifics of why we switched back, but it probably involved ads and it not Just Working like the old one. I think ours is actually a gen1, it has not been impacted by this snafu.
Is the cast protocol entirely Google's? Are there any not-ads-infested equivalents are there for when Google eventually realizes their mistake and gives it the Google Reader treatment?
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I like to think I had a very small role in prolonging the life of thousands of cable modems here in Ontario over a similar issue. CableLabs white paper on the issue seems to have similarly disappeared from the internet, but here's a Commscope bulletin.
This issue effects EVERYTHING. I'd really appreciate it if somebody familiar with the whole PKI chain of trust stuff could explain the thinking--I mean address the pros and cons, explain why there are no alternatives, etc.
I can't help thinking the same thing. Back when the cable modem thing happened I asked earnestly, "what's the point of a security certificate valid for 20 years." I got an answer from somebody, but it wasn't very satisfying.
This issue effects EVERYTHING. I'd really appreciate it if somebody familiar with the whole PKI chain of trust stuff could explain the thinking--I mean address the pros and cons, explain why there are no alternatives, etc.
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the middle managers who would have seen this all got promotions and no longer care about their old work
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It'll probably happen the next time a crypto cipher or hash gets broken and forces everyone to switch to a new TLS version. That forced a lot of old stuff to sunset last time.
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And this is why I always favoured Miracast over the Apple or Google solution. As long as the Miracast devices are on the same Wi-Fi, they should work without depending on the internet.
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Everything about the Chromecasts, especially their price point, feels disposable. It's kind of amazing they've lasted this long.
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What I dislike about Miracast is it's a screen mirroring protocol, so it ties up my phone. Chromecast streams direct.
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The Chromecast without the remote is probably the most parent-friendly streaming device.
No remotes for a kid to grab and start watching. Everything needs a grownup's phone.
No remotes for a kid to grab and start watching. Everything needs a grownup's phone.
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My wife uses ours all the time and was upset about this yesterday. At least now I have an explanation for her.
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I have a Frame too, but I've never tried to cast to it, because it's not on my normal, unrestricted home network.
It does have a Google Chromecast attached to it, though, and the latter is on my LAN.
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This happened coincidentally on Sunday, just as I was switching my Chromecast from my mobile 5G router network to my new Fiber router network. Imagine my frustration when it would not start and I thought I was doing something wrong with the setup. I spent hours trying to get it working again on either network. Thanks, Google. I really like the Chromecast because it simply enables streaming to non smart TVs, but I almost through it, the TV and myself out the window.
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Have a round Chromecast puck from the Stadia, which they didn't want back. Great support (in a way): I mean they let users keep the hardware and the controller is really good, plus refunded the games). Obviously deprecating what was a promising system (IMHO) wasn't so great... 
Anyhoo, the puck stopped casting from tablet and phone a couple of days ago. I thought it was going to be immune to the stoppage, being relatively new?
Anyhoo, the puck stopped casting from tablet and phone a couple of days ago. I thought it was going to be immune to the stoppage, being relatively new?
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The Stadia kits used a Chromecast Ultra, I believe. That device should still be fine. If it's not working, it may be something unrelated.Have a round Chromecast puck from the Stadia, which they didn't want back. Great support (in a way): I mean they let users keep the hardware and the controller is really good, plus refunded the games). Obviously deprecating what was a promising system (IMHO) wasn't so great...
Anyhoo, the puck stopped casting from tablet and phone a couple of days ago. I thought it was going to be immune to the stoppage, being relatively new?
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Worse than that - Google helps gatekeep all of TLS trust - sitting on the CA/Browser forum as both CA and one of the browsers. When you are the gatekeeper that torches people for these kinds of mistakes, but then make the same mistakes yourself you either need more empathy and forgiveness or you need to do better yourself.
Granted that Google is a big company so this is probably a different department, but physician, heal thyself...
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