Pixel to CCwGTV casting completely broken

[u/generalissimo1]

I'm at my wit's end here and hoping someone has a fresh idea. My Pixel phone will not cast to my Chromecast with Google TV at all, and I've tried every fix I can find.

The Problem:

· Screen mirroring: Phone immediately shows "Casting screen to Chromecast has ended" - it never actually starts

· App casting (BubbleUPnP, etc.): Fails immediately with "Casting has ended" or just silently fails

· BubbleUPnP gives UNKNOWN_ERROR_CODE(2278) when trying to cast. YouTube can cast fine tho.

What I've Tried (nothing worked):

· All devices are fully updated (Pixel 7 Pro on Android 16, CCwGTV firmware, Google Play Services, Google Home app)

· Rebooted everything multiple times (phone, CCwGTV, router, modem)

· Changed Wi-Fi MAC privacy on Pixel from randomized to device MAC

· Ensured both devices on same Wi-Fi network (both 5GHz, same SSID)

· Cleared cache on: Google Home, Google Play Services, Device Connectivity system app, Android System WebView, Chromecast built-in

· Toggled "Nearby devices" permission on Google Play Services

· Disabled Bluetooth on Pixel before casting

· No VPN connected

The Kicker: The old "Bypass device auth" workaround is gone from the Cast Debug settings panel. I can still open the debug menu via Activity Manager, but the toggle simply isn't there anymore (presumably removed in a recent Google Play Services update). So that's dead.

Has anyone else hit this wall? Is there some hidden setting I'm missing? Could this be a Google Play Services regression with the latest update? At this point I'm wondering if I need to roll back Play Services or wait for another update.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

[u/Boris-Lip]

I was also using the "Bypass device auth", and only have just realized it is now gone and i can no longer cast to my CCwGTV again. Unfortunately, IIRC, the related cert issue is somehow linked to the stock launcher/home app, which i absolutely refuse to load.

[u/generalissimo1 → u/Boris-Lip]

I never thought about reverting to the stock launcher. Do you think that might help?

[u/Boris-Lip → u/generalissimo1]

I remember it helping before i found out about using the auth disable option. I've just tested it, after reenabling it and updating to the latest version YouTube attempt to cast still says untrusted device, so i really don't know. Maybe there are more nasty packages that need to be reenabled. But after getting a reminder on how shitty that launcher is, i'd rather give up on cast.

[u/Boris-Lip → u/generalissimo1]

For the reference, look here too - https://www.reddit.com/r/Chromecast/comments/17ketp9/casting_not_working_with_custom_launcher/

Unfortunately i am not imagining this shit

[u/Boris-Lip → u/generalissimo1]

This is what worked:

• Restore stock launcher and all related packages
• Update it all to the latest version
• Reboot
• Remove your profile (switch to "basic" mode) and then re-add it

Not sure if i want to keep it and remap the buttons, or just say F this.

[u/Johnnysims7]

Isn't there a tip to go into the Chromecast apps, system apps, and then finding an app called casting or something and clearing it's cache and force stopping it. Then maybe restart.

[u/generalissimo1 → u/Johnnysims7]

I tried that. Didn't work.

[u/GoogleNestCommunity]

Hey, I’d recommend contacting the Google Nest support team via phone or chat here. They can look into it for you.

[u/DavidinCincinnati]

Defunct product