Google Home App Refuses To Recognise Previously Working Gen 1 Chromecast After Factory Reset

[jonseymour]

I am also having this issue.

- Gen 1 Chromecast that was working, then suddenly stopped working.

- removed the device from the Google Home App on the iPhone

- successfully factory reset the device with the button on the hardware

- while trying to add a new device via the app, the device is not discovered (via Bluetooth)

I have been through the factory reset process 3 times. I have force closed the app.  I have restarted the phone. I have checked my Bluetooth settings 3 times. I have disconnected and powered down the device for a day and then repeated everything 24 hours later.

Nothing works. 

It seems to me that there is a bug in either the app or the firmware regarding Bluetooth device identification protocols which has rendered my device (and every other device where there are recent similar reports of hard factory resets not working) inoperable.

What options do I have to fix this?

[JenniferV · Accepted solution]

Hi jonseymour,

Thanks for reaching out and for providing detailed information on the steps that you've done — these are of great help! I'd love to dig deeper into this.

Quick questions — what's the LED light status in your Chromecast (solid or flashing white)? What's the distance between the router and the Chromecast device? 

Try to uninstall and reinstall the Google Home app. Also, please manually connect to the Chromecast SSID. Here's how: Go to the phone’s Settings > Open WiFi and connect to the Chromecast SSID (Example: Chromecast1234, Living Room TV, Bedroom TV, etc.) > Go to the Google Home app and try to set up again.

For additional steps, please visit this support website article and let me know how it goes. 

Thanks,

Jennifer

[jonseymour]

Ah, my mistake - I had the wrong mental model of how the Chromecast gets its WiFi credentials  I had assumed it had a Bluetooth receiver and the app connected to it via Bluetooth. (I used to work on a home automation device that used Bluetooth in this way).

Somehow, I missed the instruction to connect to its WiFi network. I think I did try this at one point, but I didn't see the network, so I dismissed it as an option. 

With the correct mental model in place, I searched harder for the WiFi network and after that it all became very straightforward

Sorry for the noise.

[Jeran]

Hey there jonseymour,

No problem at all, we're happy to hear you got everything working! Did you have any more questions or need any additional help? 

Also, thank you for helping out on this one, Jennifer!

Thank you,
Jeran
 

[jonseymour]

All good, thank you!

[JenniferV]

Hi jonseymour,

Great and you're welcome! Since the issue is now resolved, I'll go ahead and lock this thread to keep our community tidy. 

Give us a shout if something comes up, you know where to find us.

Cheers,

Jennifer