Google Chromecast users’ fury at second day of TV streaming issue
Liv McMahon
Technology reporter
Getty Images
Google says it is working to fix an issue which has left many Chromecast users unable to watch content on their televisions for a second day.
The tech giant says it has sold more than 100m of these devices worldwide across various generations, with the issues specifically impacting the “second generation” model.
Owners of these Chromecasts have been unable to connect them to their televisions – meaning they cannot use streaming services like Netflix and YouTube on the big screen – with Chromecast Audio devices also facing issues.
And the company has warned users not to try to fix the problem themselves by performing a factory reset to affected devices in a post on the Google Nest support forum.
“Do not factory reset your device – we will keep you all updated when the fix rolls out,” it says.
“If you have already factory reset your device, we will provide instructions to set your device back up as soon as possible.”
But several social media users suggested Google’s advice had come too late for some who had already reset their affected Chromecasts.
“Factory reset is literally the first thing I did when my Chromecast stopped working,” wrote a user replying to Google on X.
“Google asking everyone to please not factory reset their Chromecast after hours when it’s one of the most used fixes, is hilarious,” said another.
Google’s Chromecast devices plug into TVs and allow users to stream content like web video and music wirelessly using a mobile device or laptop.
It also provides the ability to display anything from inside a tab on its Chrome web browser.
Google released the second generation of Chromecast, along with the Chromecast Audio, in 2015
Customers first began to report issues affecting some Chromecasts and their ability to “cast” streaming content from devices to TVs on Sunday evening.
Users trying to stream content were met with alerts which said the device could not be authenticated, its connection had failed, or the Chromecast itself was “untrusted”.
Google said in August 2024 it would be discontinuing Chromecast, replacing its 11-year-old device with a new Google TV system, but it promised to support existing devices with updates.
According to a report by The Register, the issue may have been caused by an expired authentication certificate.
The BBC has asked Google to confirm if this is indeed the case.
