Google’s oldest Chromecast is starting to fail in many applications

Google’s the original Chromecast may eventually go astray. More than a decade after the tiny HDMI switch helped make streaming a mainstream feature, a growing number of first-generation Chromecast owners are suddenly finding their devices aren’t working.

The reports began to multiply Reddit this week that users said their 2013 Chromecast models no longer appear as streaming targets in apps like YouTube and HBO Max (via) 9 to 5 Google). The failures are oddly inconsistent. Some owners say that Spotify and Disney+ are still working normally.

This discrepancy is what has people wondering if Google has quietly pulled the plug or if something else is broken behind the scenes.

The original Chromecast was introduced in 2013 with a pretty simple premise: press a button on your phone and instantly cast content to your TV. It cost just $35 and became one of Google’s biggest hardware success stories, helping to push streaming into the mainstream long before smart TVs became standard. Over time, Google added newer Chromecasts, Chromecast Audio, and eventually Google TV-enabled devices to the lineup. More than 100 million Chromecast units were sold globally before Google dropped the branding in favor of a new brand. Google TV Broadcaster.

Still, Google officially stopped firmware updates for the first-generation Chromecast in 2023. At the time, the company warned that owners “may experience reduced performance” in the future. What’s going on right now seems worse than the occasional lethargy.

Now going viral, Reddit users say that many first-gen devices have stopped working at the same time, leading to speculation that some back-end changes are finally pushing the aging hardware aside. Some users have even accused Google of forcing the upgrade on purpose, but there is currently no evidence to support this theory.

What makes the situation even more interesting is that Google has had a major Chromecast failure in recent history. Second generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices in March 2025 suddenly started throwing “Untrusted device” errorswhich users follow due to expired security certificates baked into the hardware. In response to widespread backlash, Google later rolled out a fix via the Google Home app.

Google hasn’t publicly acknowledged the latest wave of failures, but this new first-gen issue seems different. Conversely, apps don’t recognize the old Chromecast in many cases. Android Authority has reached out to Google for comment and will update this article when the company responds.

For affected owners, the real fix may never come. Instead of releasing a new patch, Google may roll back its old expiration notice because the device hasn’t received updates in years. The company has already moved to more premium hardware with the Google TV Streamer, which costs significantly more than the original Chromecast.