• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Gen 2 Google chromecast audio not working due to bad firmware update

MarkBee123

MarkBee123

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
May 14, 2024
Messages
24
Likes
58
The google/nest streaming boards are getting messages from all over the world that people's gen 2 chromecasts stopped working and can't be authenticated after a factory reset. Just FYI if yours stopped working, there is probably nothing to be done until google rolls out a new firmware update, I assume based on the various posts there and on reddit.
 
How does one differentiate gen 2 from gen 1? What updates?
 
Chromecast audio is gen 2, chromecast gen 1 was the dongle that looked kinda like a usb stick. Gen 2 and later were the round puck. Not sure what exactly happened, but my chromecast audio stopped working, did a factory reset and the home app says it is not authorized or similar. Most people think a recent firmware update and possibly daylight savings time are to blame.
 
Every single update to chromecast made it worse, removing useful features like having it work with an external DAC or ethernet dongle. That it sucked to begin with didn't help. You can solve this class of problem by not buying google hardware, which from phones to tablet, all suck horribly. You're better off getting a completely obsolete nvidia shield. My 2105 pro a million times better than any crap google product produced today -- and it's orders of magnitude faster running a completely obsolete arm64 CPU than any chromecast with their obsolete before even being designed in, armv7 32 bit cpu. As a software developer you have to do obsolete 32 bit armv7 builds just so your software can even run on a chromecast with its pathetic cpu.

Google needs to be broken up via antitrust to fix this -- it is an absolute shitshow of putting out phones that cant connect to the internet or make calls. There's a million chairwarmers working there whose only skill is updating their pronouns and keeping their hair dyed blue, while the management is off sexually harassing employees and given $100m severences instead of being fired (cf android's Andy Rubin). Yet they can't ever find some interns to run a basic smoke test on any product or SW update they release. It's pathetic. Boycott!
 
I'm seeing reports of Gen 1 and Gen 3 CC devices having the same issues as well. Definitely sounds like a server side issue. I won't be home until tomorrow night to check mine.
 
MarkBee123 said:
Chromecast audio is gen 2, chromecast gen 1 was the dongle that looked kinda like a usb stick. Gen 2 and later were the round puck. Not sure what exactly happened, but my chromecast audio stopped working, did a factory reset and the home app says it is not authorized or similar. Most people think a recent firmware update and possibly daylight savings time are to blame.
Click to expand...
Mine have only been the round puck so I guess all mine have been gen 2. So far no issue, but will keep this in mind, thanks. You have a single unit or several?
 
More info;
www.techtimes.com

Google Chromecast Outage: 'Untrusted Device' Error Blocks Users From Streaming—What's Going On?

Chromecast (2nd Gen) and Audio users are locked out of streaming due to an "Untrusted Device" error—here's why it's happening and what to expect next.
www.techtimes.com www.techtimes.com
Interestingly, the problem appears to be confined to Chromecast (2nd Gen) and Chromecast Audio alone. More recent models such as Chromecast (3rd Gen) and Chromecast Ultra are not affected, Android Police has learned.

This has also sparked rumors that Google may have bricked the devices or plans to discontinue them.
Click to expand...

Possible workaround;

One Redditor found a workaround that has worked for many. The process requires resetting the Chromecast and manually setting your phone’s date before March 9, 2025. Once done, you can use the Google Home app to set up your old Chromecast again. However, this is too cumbersome of a workaround for a server-side issue from Google. If you can, wait for the company to resolve the problem.

It appears that someone at Google overlooked updating the essential certificate files for the Chromecast (2nd Gen) and Chromecast Audio, which is possibly causing the problem.

The outage has been going on for over 10 hours now, and Google has yet to acknowledge it officially. Here's hoping the company quickly gets its act together and resolves the problem.
Click to expand...


JSmith
 
Thanks for the info. After a year of not using the thing I set it up on Friday. Worked like a charm. Today there is no connection :(
 
MarkBee123 said:
Chromecast audio is gen 2, chromecast gen 1 was the dongle that looked kinda like a usb stick. Gen 2 and later were the round puck. Not sure what exactly happened, but my chromecast audio stopped working, did a factory reset and the home app says it is not authorized or similar. Most people think a recent firmware update and possibly daylight savings time are to blame.
Click to expand...
Are you using the OEM power adapter? Friends had issues with audio and it was because the power adapter (not sure why but switching to another worked for both of them.) I'm not a fan of their consumer audio products yet.
 
The "chromecast team" just posted that it is, in fact, and expired certificate and that they will roll out a fix, and instructions for those who did a factory reset on how to get function back. Why it is taking so long for something that seems like is should be simple is beyond me.
 
Every time something like this happens I get the reminder that Google can switch off my music system at will (even the reproduction of my local FLAC files) :(

What do you think about following alternatives to Chromecast Audio? I guess I may miss the ability to stream from some internet radios and services that support Chromecast only, but at least I could stream my local files without Google messing up with it:


 
MarkBee123 said:
The "chromecast team" just posted that it is, in fact, and expired certificate and that they will roll out a fix, and instructions for those who did a factory reset on how to get function back. Why it is taking so long for something that seems like is should be simple is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I use the cast audio every day since it came out. Yesterday was a dead end so I suspected was somthing with Google.
I did a factory reset, something I should not have done apparently.
 
Last edited:
IMO certificates expiration will be a major issue for embedded world. Browsers conveniently used as control interface are heading towards complete refusal of non-SSL connections, while the industry pushes for shorter and shorter certificate validity period (e.g. https://www.globalsign.com/en/blog/90-days-to-47-certificate-lifespans-and-automation ). Not all embedded devices are connected to internet so that their certificates could be updated remotely. Also that would require a running service online which would likely be operated by the vendor only for a few years. Also root CA certificates expire. Not an easy situation, IMO.
 
Another issue of old connected devices is deprecated/non-supported encryption protocols. Standard user software such as web browser or even ssh client drops support for these.
 
DO NOT RESET

"In an [update](https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Streaming/Regarding-an-issue-with-Chromecast-2nd-gen-and-Chromecast-Audio/td-p/686992) on the Google Nest community site, where Chromecast support seems to live these days, the internet titan added, "Do not factory reset your device - we will keep you all updated when the fix rolls out. If you have already factory reset your device, we will provide instructions to set your device back up as soon as possible."
 
MarkBee123 said:
Chromecast audio is gen 2, chromecast gen 1 was the dongle that looked kinda like a usb stick. Gen 2 and later were the round puck. Not sure what exactly happened, but my chromecast audio stopped working, did a factory reset and the home app says it is not authorized or similar. Most people think a recent firmware update and possibly daylight savings time are to blame.
Click to expand...
I guess I only have gen 2 then. No particular issues except the excruciating setup for coordinating several
 
yoyoc said:
DO NOT RESET

"In an [update](https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Streaming/Regarding-an-issue-with-Chromecast-2nd-gen-and-Chromecast-Audio/td-p/686992) on the Google Nest community site, where Chromecast support seems to live these days, the internet titan added, "Do not factory reset your device - we will keep you all updated when the fix rolls out. If you have already factory reset your device, we will provide instructions to set your device back up as soon as possible."
Click to expand...
Does pulling the plug and back in count as factory reset?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom