Millions of Chromecast devices worldwide are experiencing malfunctions. Is the shutdown intentional or just a bug?
The tiny gadget that has been your amazing friend for years, your Chromecast, has stopped functioning. It will not respond no matter how many times you unplug it or restart it. You are not alone if this has happened to you, so do not worry.
Users have become frustrated by Google's lack of official communication and have taken to social media to vent their frustrations and find support from others. Google has been accused by many of planned obsolescence, a practice whereby tech companies produce products that eventually malfunction. The business has not yet provided definitive answers for individuals impacted by the outage or released an official statement regarding its causes.
Older models, like the second-generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, seem to be the main ones affected. Users complained that they were unable to stream media to their TVs from their phones or tablets. Furthermore, the device is not recognized by the Google Home app, which is used to configure and control Chromecast.
The error message "Chromecast cannot be recognized" may appear on some screens. In other instances, it seems that outdated firmware is the cause of the problem. It is odd that these devices were functioning properly until recently, which has many people wondering if this was a technical issue or something more deliberate.
This incident occurs after Google previously declared that it would no longer be producing Chromecast in favor of its new streaming device, Google TV. The company has stopped producing new Chromecast devices, and those that are already on the market will only be available while supplies last. However, current Chromecast devices will still receive software and security updates.