Google brings broken Chromecasts back to life with emergency update

Dongles had lost ability to cast for almost a week

Life

Image: Google

Google has begun rolling out a software update to restore functionality to thousands of second-generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices, which were reported to have stopped working for nearly a week.

The update – announced on 13 March and rolling out “over the next few days” – is designed to restore the dongle’s ability to connect with smartphones and tablets for streaming.

However, users who attempted to fix the issue by resetting their devices to factory settings may not yet benefit from this update, as Google is still working on a solution for those cases.

The update process is automatic and requires no input from the user, provided the Chromecast is connected to power and Wi-Fi. However, the rollout is staggered, meaning not all devices will receive the update immediately.

Google has assured users that updates for factory-reset devices will be announced on the Nest Community page once available.

Last year Google said it was ending production of its Chromecast line of dongles after selling more than 100 million units over 11 years. The company is now focused on selling the Google TV Streamer, a set-top device with a remote control aimed at rivalling the Apple TV 4K.

DPA

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