Many users have recently noticed that they can no longer send their TV series and movies from Netflix From your mobile phone to your TV, just like they always did. The classic cast button has disappeared from most Android and iOS phones when they try to connect to their TV. Smart TV or device with Google TVThis has sparked complaints on social media and forums.
What is happening is not an isolated failure, but a change decided by the platform itself: Netflix is removing support for Google Cast on most TVs and media players These devices have a remote control and a native app. From now on, it will be mandatory to use the app installed on the TV or streaming stick instead of sending content from a mobile device.
What exactly has changed with Netflix and Google Cast?
The first sign came from communities like Reddit, where several users began commenting, around the November 10th 2025that the Cast icon had disappeared from the Netflix app when they tried to connect to their devices Chromecast with Google TV and other players with Google TV or Android TV. Many initially thought it was a bug, but it soon became clear that it wasn't.
Shortly afterwards, the company itself updated its official help page To confirm the shift: Netflix now explicitly states that "It no longer allows streaming programs from a mobile device to most televisions and streaming devices."On that same page, it states that, in these cases, it will be necessary to use the remote control of the television or player to navigate the application.
This change affects all plans on the platform equally in Europe and the rest of the regions, from ad-supported options to the most expensive subscriptions. Cast support withdrawal does not differentiate between tariffs. provided it is a television or streaming device with a native Netflix app, although there are important nuances in the case of older devices.
The situation is reminiscent of what happened in 2019 with AirPlayWhen Netflix decided to stop supporting Apple's content delivery system without providing much technical explanation, many iPhone and iPad users saw the option to send their shows to their TVs via Apple's protocol disappear almost overnight—a situation very similar to what's happening now with Google Cast.
Affected devices: Goodbye to Cast on most Smart TVs and sticks
Netflix's new approach is clear: If the device has a remote control and a native app, direct transmission from the mobile device is lost.This includes the vast majority of current smart TVs and media players sold in Spain and the rest of Europe. We're talking about models with Google TV or Android TVbut also from other brands' equipment with their own systems.
Among the specific devices that are losing Cast support for Netflix, as users and specialized media have verified, are the Chromecast with Google TV’s most emblematic landmarks, the Google TV Streamer, most of Smart TV with Google TV or Android TV, as well as very popular players such as Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube or third-party solutions such as NVIDIA Shield TVIn Spain, where these devices are quite common for "making smart" older TVs, the measure has not gone unnoticed.
Televisions from brands such as LG, Samsung or Hisense With systems like webOS, Tizen, or VIDAA, even when they previously appeared in the list of available devices when pressing the cast button. Some users have found that All of their TVs have disappeared from the Cast list on the Netflix app.regardless of the system they use.
In many European homes, the result is the same: where before there was a complete list of televisions, HDMI sticks, soundbars with Google Cast, and even some smart speakers with screens, now only the occasional device without a remote appears, such as a Google Nest Hub or very old equipment that could not be upgraded.
The underlying reason Netflix gives is that in all those cases there is already a official platform application on the deviceTherefore, using Cast is considered “redundant.” The company encourages users to open the app with the remote's button and navigate directly on the TV, instead of using their phone as the primary remote.
The only exceptions: older Chromecasts and TVs with Google Cast, but with conditions.
Despite the scope of the change, Netflix has not completely closed the door to content submissions. Its official documentation specifies that, if the user has a "classic" Chromecast or a TV with Google Cast built-inThe ability to cast from your phone will remain available for now. These first-generation Chromecasts are the ones without a remote or dedicated interface, and are controlled exclusively from your phone, as explained in [link/reference]. how to connect a chromecast.
However, these exceptions come with a catch. For starters, Google stopped manufacturing the classic Chromecasts a while ago.So we're talking about an increasingly smaller and older stock of devices. Furthermore, as Netflix itself indicates, to use the Cast function on these devices, you need to have... a plan without ads, among the most expensive on the platform, which in markets like the United States starts at 17,99 dollars per month (around 15-16 euros at the current exchange rate, depending on the European country).
Furthermore, Netflix clarifies that In plans with advertising, using the television as a screen is not allowed. To mirror what you're seeing on your mobile device, both in streaming and screen mirroring modes. In other words, even if you have an older Chromecast or a TV with Google Cast, if you pay for one of the cheaper ad-supported plans. You will not be able to take advantage of this sending feature.
In practice, this creates a rather limited situation: only a portion of subscribers with older hardware and an ad-free subscription can continue using Google Cast relatively normally. The rest must forget about the idea of casting Netflix from their mobile device, even if their device is technically compatible with Google's technology.
Many users see this strategy as a way to push towards the more expensive plans And at the same time, prepare the ground to withdraw any kind of Cast compatibility in the near future, as those old Chromecasts become obsolete or stop receiving support.
Possible reasons: experience control, advertising, and end of sharing
Officially, Netflix has not provided a detailed explanation beyond mentioning the idea of "improving the user experience." It has not explained, for example, that there are insurmountable technical problems with Google Cast or significant incompatibilities with newer televisions. The absence of a concrete technical justification has led many analysts to look at the broader context of recent years.
The platform has been tightening its policies for some time, both in relation to prices and plan types as in his fight against password sharing between householdsAfter implementing its well-known "one-household accounts" policy and blocking much of the sharing, the company has added millions of new subscribers worldwide. In the last quarter of 2024 alone, for example, it added nearly 19 million registrations, far exceeding the 300 million subscribers globally and increasing its year-on-year revenue by more than 17%.
In this context, it makes sense that Netflix would want to centralize consumption in the native apps of televisions and playerswhere it meticulously controls the interface, recommendation systems, advertising insertion methods, and audience measurement tools. When casting from a mobile device, the playback flow is managed more directly between Netflix servers and the destination device, reducing the scope for interactive formats, new ad types, or interface experiments.
It also cannot be overlooked that the function of sending content facilitates certain usage practices that clash with the new rules of a single household. Share access with family or friends in another home And letting them control playback from their own phone is easier with Google Cast than forcing them to use the TV remote and the local app, where location and network detection plays a more significant role.
In parallel, other major streaming services have followed similar steps in relation to price increases and restrictions. Platforms like Disney + Netflix and Hulu have increased their monthly fees and tightened their account sharing policies, although, for now, they continue to maintain compatibility with systems like Google Cast. Netflix's move could ultimately influence how these companies approach controlling the viewing experience in the future.
How it affects users in Spain and Europe on a daily basis
For Spanish and European users who had made their mobile phones their primary way to watch Netflix, the change is significant. Until now, many preferred search for content from your phone or tabletwhere typing and browsing the catalog is faster than using the remote's directional keys. Once they found what they wanted to watch, they simply tapped the Cast icon and sent it to the TV.
With the removal of the stand on most Smart TVs and sticks, that flow is broken. From this point on, the usual use involves turning on the TV, opening the Netflix app with the dedicated button on the remote —very common in controllers sold in Europe— and navigate the menu from there. For those accustomed to controlling everything from their mobile phone, returning to a physical controller might feel like a step backward, especially on models where the interface is somewhat sluggish.
In homes where several TVs and devices are combined, as is common in many Spanish homes, the experience also changes: it's no longer so simple Choose on the fly from your mobile which TV it will play on Something, because that control again depends on what the television has selected at any given time. Users who had Fire TV or other sticks In second homes or additional rooms, guests also encounter a less flexible experience.
On a practical level, this could pose a minor headache for families who were used to their children finding cartoons on their phones and then sending them to the living room TV, or for those who used phones as a solution to compensate for old, imprecise, or damaged remote controls. Now, The native application becomes the necessary step And Google Cast is no longer the convenient wildcard it was until recently.
Some users may barely notice the difference, because they were already exclusively using the remote and the TV app. But for those who used the cast button daily, the feeling is... clear loss of functionality, without any new feature to compensate for that sacrifice.
What alternatives remain for continuing to watch Netflix on a mobile device?
With traditional Cast being phased out, many Android and iOS users are wondering what options they have left if they want to continue initiating playback from their phone. The most obvious, though less elegant, alternative is to resort to... screen duplication or mirroring functions offered by some mobile phones and televisions, such as Miracast, Smart View or “wireless projection” solutions.
These functions, however, often have significant limitations: Higher latency, worse image and audio quality and increased battery consumption on mobile devices. Furthermore, Netflix itself specifies that plans with ads do not allow using the television as a screen for playback of the mobile app, further restricting the use of these alternatives for subscribers to the cheapest plans.
Those who still retain a Classic Chromecast in the form of a small "puck" without a remote They can continue using it as before, provided they have an ad-free plan and the device hasn't become outdated due to lack of updates. It remains a temporary solution, as hardware is becoming outdated and will likely stop receiving support eventually, but for now it's still a workaround for those who don't want to give up sending from their mobile; there are also guides for Use Chromecast without Wi-Fi.
Another option is to bet on Other streaming services that do support Google Cast, such as Disney+, YouTube, Prime Video Or Crunchyroll, at least until they change their minds. Many users combine several services and can continue using their mobile phones to stream content to those platforms, although in the specific case of Netflix, the path seems clear: they'll have to coexist with the TV app.
For those who particularly value controlling playback from their smartphone, it may be worthwhile to review what device ecosystem It fits better with your viewing habits before you upgrade your TV or stick. For now, though. Netflix's decision is unilateral. And it doesn't depend on whether the TV is older or younger, but on whether the company considers that its native app and remote control should be used.
Netflix's removal of Google Cast support marks a new shift in how we watch TV content: it reduces the flexibility of those who used their mobile phones as a control center and reinforces the focus on native apps and ad-free plans, in a strategy increasingly geared towards total control of the viewing experience and maximizing subscription and advertising revenue.
