Netflix Cuts Off Casting to Google TV and New Chromecasts: What Subscribers Need to Know

Netflix is no stranger to pulling features without warning, but this one is going to sting. Back in 2019, the company abruptly killed AirPlay support. Now, in 2025, Netflix has quietly removed the ability for smartphones to cast to newer Chromecasts, Google TV streamers, and most smart TVs with Chromecast or Google TV built in. It doesn’t matter which plan you pay for; ad-supported or premium — the Cast button has been disappearing from the Netflix app over the past few weeks with zero notice to subscribers.

The timing couldn’t be more surreal. Netflix is enjoying record viewership and a tidal wave of new subscribers thanks to the launch of Stranger Things Season 5, all while construction ramps up at Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth on the Jersey Shore — the company’s massive new East Coast production hub. And yet, instead of celebrating momentum, Netflix is quietly stripping out one of the simplest, most widely used features in the streaming ecosystem. 

Why Would Netflix Do This?

Netflix’s official line isn’t exactly illuminating: “Netflix no longer supports casting shows from a mobile device to most TVs and TV-streaming devices. You’ll need to use the remote that came with your TV or TV-streaming device to navigate Netflix.”

That’s it. No technical explanation. No compatibility notes. No roadmap. Just a corporate shrug wrapped in a support-page sentence.

So… why would they do this?

Casting Netflix from a smartphone has always been the easier way to navigate, control playback, and avoid the clunky, ad-stuffed interfaces that come baked into many smart TVs. For some users, it also quietly doubled as a loophole around Netflix’s household/password crackdown — casting from a phone could sometimes trick a TV into thinking it was part of the “primary household.”

That workaround is now gone. Netflix has removed casting support from most new Chromecasts, Google TV streamers, and nearly every TV with Chromecast or Google TV built in. Only older Chromecast models and TVs that still rely on the legacy Google Cast protocol are hanging on.

It gets even more restrictive. According to Netflix’s own support pages, casting isn’t available for ad-supported plans at all. Only non-ad-supported plans can cast to the remaining legacy devices — and that list is shrinking fast.

The reasoning is pretty straightforward: control. Casting lets users sidestep Netflix’s own app experience — and more importantly, the device-level restrictions, ads, tracking, experimental features, and future monetization layers the company wants to enforce directly on the TV. Casting is platform-agnostic and unpredictable, which makes it difficult for Netflix to standardize behavior or roll out new features across the massive, messy universe of Chromecast-enabled hardware.

By forcing everyone to use the TV’s native Netflix app with the included remote, Netflix corrals all viewing into an environment it fully owns. That’s where it can dictate playback rules, enforce household verification, run ad tests, gather engagement data, and roll out whatever comes next. In short: if Netflix can’t control the path you take to watch, they’d rather close the path entirely.

Netflix does still support casting — for now — but only on a shrinking island of older and obscure hardware. As of today, casting still works on:

• Chromecast 3rd gen or earlier — specifically the puck-style models without a physical remote.
• Google Nest Hub smart displays — the kitchen-counter survivors of the Chromecast era.
• Select cast-enabled Vizio TVs — emphasis on select.
• Select cast-enabled Compal TVs — and yes, Compal is an ODM that builds sets for multiple brands, so good luck figuring out which ones make the cut.

Note: Netflix doesn’t publish a model list. There’s no compatibility chart, no official breakdown. It’s pure hunt-and-peck for users — trial, error, and maybe a little prayer. Here’s the latest Netflix support page for casting.

Netflix Plans (2025)

The Bottom Line 

Just what everyone needed — more chaos in a streaming landscape already held together with duct tape and monthly price hikes. For a service as expensive and dominant as Netflix, users deserve flexibility in how they watch. Instead, Netflix has killed AirPlay, gutted casting support across Google’s newest devices, and left subscribers guessing which legacy boxes still work. The “why” isn’t complicated: control. Netflix wants every stream happening inside its own TV app, where it can enforce household rules, test new ad formats, and shape your viewing habits without any detours.

And the impact on you is simple: fewer options, more friction, and the sense that Netflix holds all the cards — because they do. With the company now rolling out AI-powered search and recommendation tools, the idea that Netflix might one day decide what you watch as tightly as it controls how you watch doesn’t feel that far off. Even in the Upside Down, at least the monsters don’t rearrange your remote.

Note: If you have Netflix with a package or through a third party, check with your provider to confirm if an ad-supported experience is available.

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