I have two Chromecasts -- one first generation and one second generation. I also have an old Firestick. My wife's Galaxy S 9 works fine with all three devices. My phone worked fine with all three until a couple of weeks ago. Now, my phone can only cast to the Firestick (and obviously only from supported apps like YouTube and Netflix). If I open the Google Home app on my phone, both Chromecasts appear in their appropriate rooms, but that's about where my control ends.
In Home, I can tap and connect to the second generation device to control the volume and I can also tap the "Watch live TV" button below the icon and it will start casting some weird network with old game shows. I can do absolutely nothing else with that Chromecast including screen mirroring, casting from any app, or even viewing or controlling playback of media cast from a different phone. I can tap to connect to the first generation device, but it says "Not available" and that's the end of that. There is no "Watch live TV" button below it.
Again, all of these devices work fine with my wife's phone. I have tried all the usual culprits from unplugging every relevant device and waiting a few minutes, resetting the Chromecast, clearing Home app data, uninstalling and reinstalling apps, verifying all devices are on the same network, making sure Home and Google Play Services have full permissions, the phone isn't in power save mode, sensors are enabled, etc... Google Home has no trouble managing other connected devices in my home including light bulbs and speakers. I can reset the Chromecasts and actually set them up with my phone from the Home app, but as soon as they connect to Home, my phone can no longer control them.
Anyone ever had a similar experience? Can you think of any obscure settings that might be causing me issues? I already spent an hour or more with Google's Chromecast support and I'm about to see if I can find a good Samsung support channel.
Related
I've had the device about a week now and we have been streaming a lot of content to it without any issues. But I had a strange issue with my Chromecast yesterday and I wanted to make note of it here. This isn't so much as a request for help, but I would like people to post if they are having similar issues so we can see how often it occurs and see if there are any similarities which may help pinpoint the bug.
After watching a Netflix show, I tried casting another show but could not. The TV screen switched to the red "Netflix" screen and it seem to try and buffer the show, but it never started playing. After a while (perhaps a minute), the tablet from which I selected the show to cast came up with a "Could not Connect" error. I tried selecting the show again, and could not get it to connect. I ended up unplugging the device and even then it would not connect. I think I was finally able to fix the problem by selecting another show which did start to play and then selecting the show that I really wanted to watch. However, I was trying lots of things, so it could be something else that actually fixed it. For example, I don't remember if I de-selected the chromecast and then re-select it. I've read that fixed similar issues that other people have had with the Youtibe app.
Here are some more details:
- chromecast is plugged into the TV via the short HDMI extension cord.
- it is powered via the USB power cable plugged into the USB transformer and 110v power (ie not powered via a USB port on the TV)
- the TV does not have HMDI control-ability
- the TV is a LG model 46D64U
- between the two shows when I had the problem, the Chromecast went to a black screen for a second or two and I thought I heard an audible click. In fact I thought the TV turned itself off because the click I think I heard is the same click I hear when the TV turns on or off. However the screen did come back on its own pretty quickly.
I just wanted to see how common this issue may be. So if you have had problems with your Chromecast timing out when trying to stream content, please post as many details about the situation as possible.
Thanks!
Brian
I am having the same issue. netflix can't send the request to chromecast through my tablet. it started a week ago and I haven't had it working since. I have tried clearing cache, uninstalling and re-nstalling. I have had to use my S3 to do it.
GreekTreat said:
I am having the same issue. netflix can't send the request to chromecast through my tablet. it started a week ago and I haven't had it working since. I have tried clearing cache, uninstalling and re-nstalling. I have had to use my S3 to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Change the date and time settings on your device to Automatic.
2. Clear the Netflix application data
Navigate to Settings.
Under Device, choose Application Manager or Apps section.
Can't find your Application Manager? Refer to your owner's manual or contact your phone manufacturer for further assistance.
Under Downloaded, choose Netflix.
Choose Clear data, then OK.
Re-enter the Netflix application and try playing again.
Chromecast Audio with Pandora Sleep Timer
Post moved to Chromecast Audio forum here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android-tv/chromecast-audio/chromecast-audio-pandora-sleep-timer-t3628321
It's been almost 3 weeks since I purchased 4 Chromecasts. I have some Pros and Cons about my experience. I encourage you to add your own Pro/Con list.
Pros:
- Cheap. At $35 it's an impulse buy. I expect to see it at the checkout aisle of the supermarket next to the gift cards.
- Cheap will make it ubiquitous. Every app developer will rush to make their app Chromecastable.
- Extremely easy to set up. Some have had troubles as we've seen on this forum but my daughter set hers up without a single phone call to me. And she has absolutely no tech skills.
- I absolutely, positively love the ability to queue YouTube videos. I wish Netflix had that and I hope other app developers pick up on that. I wish there was one central queue where I could queue up Netflix, YouTube, Google Music, et all in one big queue. I could plan a whole night's viewing and then just sit back and watch.
- Shared control. It's nice that I can start a video and leave the room and my wife can take over control of it on her device. Very clever.
- Doesn't tie up my device. I can do other things while watching a video. Multitasking as it were.
- I can start a video on my phone then cast it to my family room TV, then pause it and start playing it on my bedroom PC, then pause it and finish it on my tablet. Very versitile.
- Video quality is superb. 1080p is very nice from the Chromecast. As good as cable TV.
- Audio is also superb. 5.1 is a nice surprise.
- If you have multiple wifi routers with multiple SSIDs you can control a Chromecast across SSIDs. And you see all the Chromecasts no matter which SSID you're currently using.
CONS
- Using the phone/tablet as a remote is not as convenient as a real remote. We have an unwritten rule in our house that when someone starts a conversation we pause the TV. With a real remote I can do this in a split second without looking at the remote. Using Chromecast I can't. Not only do I have to look at the phone, thus ignoring the person that is talking to me, I have to find the app that cast the video and start it up again to be able to pause it. This has made for an awkward situation more than once.
- It's not a perfect device, lots of app tweaking needs to be done.
- Sometimes I get spinning circle on my phone and it never casts.
- Sometimes I get spinning circle on my phone but the cast actually starts. This is not good at all as I have no way of pausing or stopping it from my phone. Same thing happens to my tablet so it's not a device specific issue.
- There's no ability to reduce picture quality. If I'm in a hotel using my phone's hot spot capability I could easily eat up 5gb of data watching a 1080p movie when 480p, or even less, would have been satisfactory.
- It has connectivity issues with some routers, especially Verizon FIOS' Actiontec router. There's not much in the way of documentation to help with this. The help information refers to turning off a feature that the router doesn't have.
BOTTOM LINE
The Chromecast is not a perfect device, like all devices, but the low cost and ease use make up for a lot of its misgivings. Almost all of the Cons I have listed can be corrected by software updates. I only see this product as getting better and better. The only fear is that it becomes another Google castoff like Google TV or Google Reader or Google Q or Buzz. But at $35 there's not much risk.
This product is a sign of the future and the future is bright. With many devices battling for this space, Apple TV, Roku, etc. we will all be the winners. Just as many people have multiple game consoles so will many people have multiple streaming devices. This is going to be a fun ride.
TabGuy said:
There's no ability to reduce picture quality. If I'm in a hotel using my phone's hot spot capability I could easily eat up 5gb of data watching a 1080p movie when 480p, or even less, would have been satisfactory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, what? Have you been able to get it to work using a hotspot? Everything I've read says it's not currently possible.
We need more app's....
TabGuy said:
- Extremely easy to set up. Some have had troubles as we've seen on this forum but my daughter set hers up without a single phone call to me. And she has absolutely no tech skills.
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Click to collapse
As I was setting it up, I had no idea I needed a WiFi device for first time set up. I was using my desktop connected to my router with the WiFi turned off. So quickly I assumed it was because of that. (I have a WAP broadcasting another SSID so i turned off my router) After I turned on my router, I was still getting the same problem stating my WiFi was off. Then I feared that my desktop needed to be a WiFi device to work with the Chromecast. After some quick searches I found that the WiFi device was just for setup which I did on my phone and got it up and running smoothly.
TabGuy said:
- If you have multiple wifi routers with multiple SSIDs you can control a Chromecast across SSIDs. And you see all the Chromecasts no matter which SSID you're currently using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my setup was kind of like this, and i feared that it would not work. After the setup, I just installed the extension on Chrome for all my computers in the family and it showed up on all of them. Relieved and happy that it was simpler than I was dreading.
andrewhchiu said:
As I was setting it up, I had no idea I needed a WiFi device for first time set up. I was using my desktop connected to my router with the WiFi turned off. So quickly I assumed it was because of that. (I have a WAP broadcasting another SSID so i turned off my router) After I turned on my router, I was still getting the same problem stating my WiFi was off. Then I feared that my desktop needed to be a WiFi device to work with the Chromecast. After some quick searches I found that the WiFi device was just for setup which I did on my phone and got it up and running smoothly.
So my setup was kind of like this, and i feared that it would not work. After the setup, I just installed the extension on Chrome for all my computers in the family and it showed up on all of them. Relieved and happy that it was simpler than I was dreading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Common sense should tell you that you can't connect to the Chromecast through your wireless network before it get connected to your wireless network. Assuming it's protected with a password how do you suppose Chromecast would connect to it? And for open networks I think it's illegal to just auto connect to open networks. I would think that most people buying a Chromecast would have a smartphone or tablet.
rkirmeier said:
Common sense should tell you that you can't connect to the Chromecast through your wireless network before it get connected to your wireless network. Assuming it's protected with a password how do you suppose Chromecast would connect to it? And for open networks I think it's illegal to just auto connect to open networks. I would think that most people buying a Chromecast would have a smartphone or tablet.
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Click to collapse
I figured it was going to be something like connecting a bluetooth device where it would broadcast its own signal and then you can connect to it. but i guess i wasn't thinking.
Echo the majority of the above comments, still too early to be overly concerned that Google hasn't yet released their chrome cast API.
I'm in UK so had to wait slightly longer than others for my US bought one (first day purchase) to arrive here in the UK, but its here I love Google play , Google movies and YouTube integration
Waiting for CM casting to go live and hopefully be implemented into aokp.
Not tried casting chrome tabs from my laptop yet or my hard wired pc workstation, is it true that sounds cabled PC's can have issues connecting to chromecast
Am I meant to be able to cast from chrome browser tabs on my N4 ?
Can anyone cast screen using Chromecast? Used to be able to do that with several other devices. But on this device, I get msg that screen not optimized for Chromecast. I can cast videos from different apps, but can't cast the phone screen anymore.
Please check and let me know what you're experiencing.
Tried right now and it works. Buggy, but it works. And with buggy I mean 1 out of 3 or 4 times I cast, it ends after a few seconds with a "casting has ended" for no reason. But when it does work, it goes for hours with no problems...
Odd. Screen casting using an Xperia X Compact (with its slower processor and less RAM) is fine, but on the XZ1C it disconnects or freezes nearly every time. I have found a workaround, however. The app "Web Video Caster" works reliably, and can access the full storage, including an SD card, using a built-in file explorer. Offers subtitle search and can play everything I have thrown at it so far.
flintfirewalker said:
Can anyone cast screen using Chromecast? Used to be able to do that with several other devices. But on this device, I get msg that screen not optimized for Chromecast. I can cast videos from different apps, but can't cast the phone screen anymore.
Please check and let me know what you're experiencing.
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Click to collapse
Chromecast works perfect for me.
But I have read that the Chromecast dongle needs excellent wifi to work properly, ideally within ten foot of a fast router.
@Didgesteve
It's curious how I've done everything short of completely resetting the phone, including updating firmware on both phone and Chromecast, and the screen cast connection is almost never maintained for more than a few seconds, if it connects at all to begin with. However, through a 3rd party application, as I indicated above, the connection is reliable, as is also the case for all connections (including the built-in screen casting) on the Xperia X compact..
pseudonym58 said:
@Didgesteve
It's curious how I've done everything short of completely resetting the phone, including updating firmware on both phone and Chromecast, and the screen cast connection is almost never maintained for more than a few seconds, if it connects at all to begin with. However, through a 3rd party application, as I indicated above, the connection is reliable, as is also the case for all connections (including the built-in screen casting) on the Xperia X compact..
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Click to collapse
Have you tried the Chromecast in another enviroment, different wifi setup?
Are there any power cables or transformers near the back of the TV? The ariel for the TV may be built into the frame, whilst the Chromecast might suffer being lumped next to all the power connectors at the back.
Try sending it back for a replacement, you might have a duff unit.
I have several Chromecasts and Rokus in my house that I can cast to from my Note 8. When I try to connect and hit Smart View, it automatically connects to the last device it connected to, and it happens so quick that there is no way to stop it. It just starts to list the devices, sometimes I see two on the list before it connects. This has made things unusable, because I often am in a different room when I want to cast something. I don't have the Smart View app installed, this is just the native Note 8 casting function. Any ideas on how to turn this off so it just shows me a list of possible destinations when I hit Smart View?
Turn off the other devices before casting
I have multiple Chromecasts on my home network, 1x Chromecast Ultra, 2x Chromecast Gen3 all connected via wired ethernet using the chromecast power adaptors (so they are powered on 24/7).
In order to cast media from my local Jellyfin server to them I have blocked google DNS in my firewall (8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4) so that they use the local DNS server that is handed out via DHCP.
The chromecast gen3's work flawlessly, never had a single problem.
The ultra however regularly "hangs" in a state where there is a background photo showing on the TV but no text (e.g. no clock, no device name, etc...). When it is in this state it does not show up in the list of cast devices and the Google Home app cannot see it.
To fix the issue I have to power cycle it - sometimes more than once. I originally thought it was a hardware fault so bought another one recently but it exhibits exactly the same behaviour! It usually goes into the "hung" state every 24hours or so.
Gen3 firmware: 1.56.275994
Ultra firmware: 1.56.281627
Any ideas? I am at a loss as to what to try next.