The first generation of Chromecast was a revolutionary device that took video from your phone and put it on your TV — and now, 13 years after it was first introduced, it seems like they’re finally starting to die off (via 9to5 Google).
A number of apps that used to work on first-gen Chromecasts no longer do, leading a number of users to believe Google is stealthily killing the original Chromecast off.
Some major and popular services no longer work on the first Chromecast
The first generation of Chromecast was technically put out to pasture three years ago, in 2023. Back then, Google quietly shut off software updates for it, clearly intending for remaining users to move over to newer devices.
Well, some of them didn’t — and it turned out that the Chromecast kept on working. Until recently, when disgruntled users suddenly realized that a number of apps they had previously used no longer worked.
According to the post, first-gen Chromecasts can no longer receive casts from YouTube, HBO, Paramount+, and Chrome. That’s a devastating blow, and one that may be impossible to recover from. While it’s confirmed in another post that apps like Disney+, Hulu, and Spotify still work, there’s no guarantee they won’t follow in shutting out the oldest Chromecast. It’s highly likely that the first generation of Chromecast ends here, with a whimper.
It’s an ignominious end for such a monumental and important device, and a number of people believe it’s an intentional act, and are accusing Google of shutting down the services in order to force people to upgrade.
However, that’s likely not the case. If that was true, and Google had that power, it would be more likely to shut off everything at once, rather than piecemeal. Instead, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was a case of the Chromecast’s older software not being able to receive new codecs or security measures. Indeed, some commenters put this very theory forwards.
But regardless of the truth, it’s sad to see a piece of technological history finally dying off. Along with the original Kindle, 2026 may go down in history as the year that some of the foundational pieces of modern technology were finally put down for good. A sad but inevitable end.
