The Chromecast is Officially Dead – How-To Geek

Google’s Chromecast range has been a popular one for years if you want to either replace your smart TV experience or make any TV into a “smart TV.” Now, Google thinks the lineup is redundant, though I would heavily disagree on that.Google has officially discontinued its Chromecast with Google TV (4K and HD) streaming devices. The devices currently show up as “no longer available” on the Google Store, which all but means that the company ran out of stock and will not replenish it. This move was previously announced by Google, so it doesn’t exactly take us as a surprise. You’re not completely left without options as Google has just launched the Google TV Streamer, a higher-end streaming device also powered by Google TV.That device was conceived as a replacement for the Chromecast range, but it’s also considerably more expensive—it’s also more powerful, but for many, the Chromecast did the trick just fine while staying relatively on the cheap side. The 4K and HD models, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, were priced at $49.99 and $29.99, making them considerably more affordable than the Streamer.Google’s official stance on the matter is that the demand for budget streaming devices has diminished, as smart TV functionality is now commonplace, even in lower-priced televisions. This is partly true, but if you get a cheaper TV you might find the built-in smart TV operating system experience to be subpar. Even as it might be comparable in features to what you’d get from a Chromecast—many of them even run Google TV—the specifications might be not what you’re expecting and apps could run extremely slowly, which is why people tend to get streaming devices anyway.It is a shame to see the Chromecast die, but there’s still tons of cheap streaming devices out there that are still being made.Source: 9to5GoogleWe want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedI’ll keep mine (the one in the picture) until I can’t watch my Jellyfin on it anymore. Then I’ll hold onto it until the little brick is worth at least $50 on the vintage market and make my money back.What I like able Chromecast, and I’m referring to the black round device, was the ability to cast my Android or even my Windows screen to the TV, so I could share a web page, or a picture, or a Windows app like Excel, without having multiple people crowd around my Android or laptop. I don’t know when they started having built-in streaming, but the cast-ability has always been frequently useful.I’d like to learn to cast from android to the chromecast. With some hotels, I’m not able to log in to wifi (Chromecast says I don’t have an app to do that) and casting to it from phone would be a lifesaver. Chromecast can’t login to most hotel wifi “captive portals” that need login, but if you can turn your phone into a hotspot and connect Chromecast to that, I think you’re in business. Reply to John below – I’ve managed to get my original Chromecast to work by “Hotspot WiFi push” from my Moto g30 very ordinary Android. We don’t have domestic WiFi (very unsmart home), just cheap 100Gb mobile contracts, enough for tethering/hotspot computer/laptop and all the streaming we need. Otherwise “off-grid,” as far as internet is concerned. Digression.Try to set up Chromecast with no other WiFi on, just phone hotspot, but with location and Bluetooth active on the phone – seems to make a difference. For me it works well both app streaming and screen mirroring, with just the phone hotspot.Best of luck!That just means no new hardware, right? My existing dongles aren’t going to explode, right?Time for a new TV I guess.Yes, existing hardware will continue working, but new Chromecasts will not be sold anymore. Google will eventually stop updating them too and that will also eventually mean apps might stop working, but that’s probably something to worry about in a few years.What these fsks at Google need to do is bring back an upgraded Chromecast Audio and save a whole bunch of older hi-fi systems from going into the trash.Maybe when the Sonos patents expire. Since it was the sonos lawsuit that seemed to lead to Google canceling it rather than pay off or fight those. If I have a Samsung TV and needed the Chromecast because couldn’t download the Max app due to space. Once the hard drive fills up on the TV then you can’t download more apps. In this case, having the Chromecast was an easy alternative.Walmart has the onn devices that have been a much better value. The $20 4k model is a cheaper replacement for the discontinued 4k chromecast with Google tv, and the $15 hd one is half the cost of the Google one. They also both support av1, unlike the Google 4k one. Well it’s all in the timing. My Chromecast 4K like the one pictured, decided to stop working and Google says they are replacing it with the same model. Supposedly it is in route as I speak. I wonder what you do if it fails inside of warranty and there are no replacement devices. But my guess is they’ve stopped selling new ones and they’re only supplying refurbished ones for warranty claims.Google also killed the Chromecast Audio several years ago. A device that’s still unique on the market and now expensive on eBay.Luckily there’ll be loads of Chromecasts on eBay for a while.Im not too surprised. It had thermal issues, and was suvpar on the specs. You should be able to upgrade a device physically if you own it . I travel quite a bit have a Chromecast I take everywhere. It’s super portable – I like my IPTV, Netflix and YouTube on the go, in any hotel, any office, any HDMI port. I only have to connect to Wi-Fi and all my other settings and logins are in place. Too bad.But the Chromecast standard is here to stay I assume? Google screwed themselves with the Chromecast with Google TV when they decided to use it to exclusively advertise to the user. I recommended the original Chromecasts to clients like crazy. I have so many of them in client homes. When the ‘with Google TV’ turned up with a remote I was stoked. Till I used it. 70% of the recommendations were for services I didn’t have. It was ‘Chromecast with Ads’. I never recommended another. I removed them from 2 of my 3 tvs. It was a shame. I really thought it was exactly what we’d been waiting for. Now, i’m leary about purchasing or recommending any Google device. If they’d given me the option to turn off recommendations for services i didn’t want recommendations for that would have been great. But they didn’t, and thats why they didn’t sell. No one that ever used one would ever recommend it to anyone. You could have gone into your profile and turned on apps only mode to remove the recommendations from the home screen. That option has been available. You also could have used an alternative launcher to remove all ads and recommendations. samsung tv wont play my apps 🙁 i love you, chromecastThe Google Streamer is just a new version of the Chromecast with TV. New hardware and form factor but same functionality. The original Chromecast without any built-in UI or apps filled a niche but became pretty much obsolete after all new TVs supported the cast protocol. The device I really missed was the cast for audio only which I could plug into any audio device with a 3.5mm jack and steam to it via WiFi. Fortunately I have one and it still works well.It sucks because Pixel phones are only compatible with Chromecast so I can’t cast to a Samsung TV and I never got one so guess that’s it lol Still using a original Google chromecast and a older mini home smart speaker so I can turn on my hifi system by voice, but I never did go with the updated Google TV chromecast. My Samsung tv works great for all streaming. They are easy to customise with your apps and passwords for streaming accounts. I’m not going to pay top dollar for a new streamer when the three devices I own so the job. It’s like Microsoft telling consumers to send their laptops to landfills because they won’t upgrade to Windows 11. Let the sunshine in.Not-so-smart home decisions.There’s no need to upgrade.Not every device needs to be smart.I’ve had my Ring doorbell for years but it’s time to say goodbye.Who knew a PC could double as a wall poster?

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/chromecast-google-tv-discontinued/