NoGoogle Warns Chromecast Users Against Factory Reset Amid Ongoing Device Outage

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Google Advises Chromecast Users Not to Factory Reset as Device Outage Continues
There has also been a serious issue with the previous Google Chromecast devices, the second-generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, which were released in September 2015. The problem began to appear within the last 24 hours, rendering the devices useless. Users have been getting an “untrusted device” error message that prevents them from casting content to TVs and other displays. The error suggests that the issue can be on the side of out-of-date device firmware.
The root cause of the problem is an expired security certificate, a bug in the server-side at Google itself. The expired certificate, which was written by Google as a way to validate the target devices, had run for 10 years until its expiration on March 9, 2025. Due to that, Chromecast devices that rely on the expired certificate to securely communicate with the backend systems run by Google no longer function correctly and can no longer successfully authenticate themselves.
The bug is accepted by Google, and the company is now working on how to solve it. While the company asked users not to perform a factory reset for the devices, that advice is so crucial since factory resetting still will not fix the issue and, if a solution is implemented in the future, the restoration process is more complex. For users who have already reset their devices, Google promises to provide instructions on how to restore them as soon as the patch is available.
Though no timeline has been given for when the issue might be resolved, Google’s acknowledgment and ongoing attempts to resolve the issue have calmed concerns that the company is intentionally phasing out support for these older devices. The Chromecast product line has been discontinued, but newer models like the Chromecast Ultra are not impacted by this bug. Current hardware, though, is still supported by Google through features integrated into Google TV and the Google TV Streamer.
Users have attempted a number of troubleshooting steps, including reconnecting to Wi-Fi and re-installing the Google Home app, but these have not succeeded. One solution, which has been suggested, is to set a phone’s date back to prior to March 9, 2025, and then re-authorize the Chromecast, but this only works for some and can require multiple attempts. In addition, streaming services like Spotify might still have issues even after implementing this solution.
The prevalence of the issue has made consumers extremely frustrated, with most complaining online in forums such as Reddit. Despite as much speculation as rumors making waves that Google might be pushing users to upgrade to new devices, there is nothing to support those claims. The issue does seem to be an actual technical issue that is being resolved by Google.
In the meantime, users are advised to wait patiently for Google’s official patch. The fact that the company is committing to solving the issue and supporting older devices is reassuring that these older Chromecasts would not be abandoned. Nevertheless, the incident serves to highlight the limitations of supporting older hardware and how server-side issues can have a direct impact on user experience.