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I'm getting ads on YouTube when casting to Chromecast (2nd Generation) despite I have Premium.

Stefax
Community Member

I'm getting ads on my Chromecast (2nd Generation) and I do not know why.

This problem started a couple of days ago when I started getting ads on YouTube-videos on my (Chromecast 2nd gen) even though I have Youtube Premium Lite (It is a cheaper version of Premium but the difference is that it only removes ads, it is so far only available in Europe). This has never been an issue before. 

 

I figured this would stop I logged in but when I tried to log in I received this error message:

1761a056-5f69-4bf5-ac54-098846942ae5.jpg

Basically it says in Swedish that I can't log in to this TV but that I can still watch as a guest.

I rarely watch YouTube on anything other than my Chromecast so it would be good to know if I should end my subscription to Premium Lite or if this problem can be solved.

 

 

 

BIG UPDATE: YouTube is now claiming on my post about this on Twitter that this issue has been solved. But from what I see it hasn't because alot of YouTube-users are still commenting on this post and showing photos which clearly shows this is still a problem.

 

Link to my post on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StefanRasch6/status/1579556765171339264

Twitter reply.png

506 REPLIES 506

JenniferV
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi folks,

 

Our team is still working on a fix, but rest assured that I'll let you know once I get any new updates from them. Thanks for being patient while our team is working on a fix.

 

Best,

Jennifer

MrNerd
Community Member

Aaaaaand still affecting my Chromecast ultra

Monk3y
Community Member

I'm also having this issue and have read through most of the tread and found a general fix. 

1. If you're still having the sign-in issue, this is the fix from Google, buy a new Google TV device.

2. If you'd like to tell Google where to go with that fix (which is actually a breaking of our perfectly working devices) please cancel your YouTube premium subscriptions and don't reward this anti consumer behavior. 

Hope this helps.

I will be cancelling my Google Drive as soon as I can download everything. Unfortunately, too many people in my family are attached to YouTube Premium family membership. But I will not be buying ANY more Google devices. I have already switched to iPhone, over a year ago. I replaced my Chromecast with a PS4, and my downstairs TV doesn’t need a Chromecast. I have purchased iCloud Drive storage and am switching over as I am able to.

Unfortunately, YouTube itself is starting g to piss me off. “Recommended for you” keeps suggesting I watch some ridiculous horror/cult movie. I keep seeing the girl with the pentagram carved in her face every time I turn on YouTube. Offensive and absolutely not anything I am interested in. I hate horror and cult genres, B-movies, and being suggested things to watch in general. Eventually YouTube will be gone too.

Google’s web surf engine is going to hell too. It’s all just ads and things that have nothing to do with my research. Eventually I won’t need Google services. There are enough alternatives. Google will not be around by 2030.

empydoodle
Community Member

Hi all

Looks like this issue is gaining a bit of traction in some tech news outlets, with articles about the issue on:

 

The Android Police article is especially interesting, showing a tweet from @TeamYouTube that appears to explicitly admit that the functionality being discussed in this thread was indeed present on the "older" Chromecast devices by way of saying:
"Signing in directly to YT on older Chromecast devices is not supported anymore.":

Screenshot from 2022-07-17 01-11-33.png

This is obviously at odds with the responses a lot of us have had personally, which indirectly infer that the functionality to sign into the Chromecast YouTube app was never supported on these "older" devices. Given the age of this tweet, one can infer that a conversation has been had internally as to how to minimise damage from this rather egregious deprecation and obsolescence of vital functionality by providing a party line in response to reports of the issue (the "working as intended" line a lot of us have had the pleasure of receiving), and likely explains why the Chromecast Ultra has mysteriously vanished from the Google Store).

All of this is surplus to the fact that, even if they were continuing with the "isn't supported anymore" line, I don't believe anybody received prior warning about this is any remote capacity.

 

What is more sinister still is that this YouTube app has not been removed from these Chromecast devices. I don't believe it would be particularly difficult to simply default these devices to the previous experience whereby the Chromecast simply displayed the YouTube logo and a "cast from device" direction.

This, to me, indicates that Alphabet / Google are seeking to "have their cake and eat it too" - by continuing to allow this ability to browse YouTube from the app despite no ability to sign in, they are continuing to gain ad revenue from YouTube Premium users who, when their devices are inconvenient to locate or unavailable (i.e. when others in the house are using the app, regardless of the presence of a YouTube Premium Family Subscription), are choosing / searching for videos from this app via their TV remotes and being subjected to advertisements we specifically pay Google not to have to see.

 

I still check my Chromecast Ultras daily to see if I can sign in (resetting the app every time and making sure the devices are up to date), however there has been absolutely zero change in the ability to sign into the app despite the functionality being advertised alongside YouTube Premium itself, but also unchanged in so far as the ability to choose videos from the app as a "Guest" is still present.

The numerous users in this thread and on other sites, as well as social media, whose outrage at this has prompted them to move away from all paid Alphabet / Google products is more than justified in this case. While my research has unearthed no criminal precedent that may form the basis of legal action against these companies, the truly awful way in which we have been treated in this situation is worthy of scandal and, were a larger news outlet to get hold of it and release articles / content on it, would provide an awful lot of sway for customers to favour competing devices, services and products from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and other less widely recognised providers.

 

@JenniferV has claimed above that an active solution to this is being sought by the relevant teams within Alphabet / Google, and my long-term loyalty to Google compels me to at least hear what this solution is - whether this is what I have already recommended whereby all YouTube Premium subscribers internationally are offered a free Chromecast with Google TV device that does support this functionality (along the lines of the Stadia Premiere Edition offer made in the UK in 2020), or simply restoring the functionality to sign in on existing "older" devices and issuing an apology, or something else.

However my loyalty in this regard, and I'm sure that of others in a similar position who has not already (understandably) cut ties with their Google products, is not going to last forever. If no solution is reached soon, or the solution is insufficient in ameliorating the disappointment and reduced quality of content consumption we have experienced in this situation, I believe it will be very difficult for Alphabet, Google or YouTube to recover from this and its reach will extend beyond media devices and YouTube to Smart Home devices, Chromebook / Pixelbook devices, Google One, Android devices and possibly even Google Search itself.

Please, please, please - sort it out.

Dime
Community Member

It's called a lie. As you've already referenced the relevant teams have stated this is forced obsolescence.

They're actively looking to force people into buying their new garbage CC-TV product whilst still actively selling the models that they're limiting.

There is no fix incoming and Ill be replacing my Google hardware with shield as soon as an update drops and removing any paid subs to their services forever.

I'd rather go the free route with the inconveniences of Adblock services than pay money for a legitimate services that looks to **bleep** me as a consumer. 

empydoodle
Community Member

Okay so I just spent an hour typing out a message which has immediately been removed as it believes it was "spam".

Screenshot from 2022-07-17 02-12-10.png

I have submitted a report to the moderator, and I sincerely hope they recover the post with haste so as not to extend my disappointment to this platform as well as Google in general.

In the likely event nothing is done to restore it, I'll summarise.

  1. Numerous articles about this issue now - this one from Android Police especially interesting as it shows a reply from TeamYouTube on Twitter saying "this isn't supported anymore", implying that it was supported at some point and refuting claims that this was never supported.
    Some inference can be made as to an internal discussion at Alphabet/Google about a party line, which included removing Chromecast Ultras from Google Store.
  2. The fact that the Chromecast YouTube app remains unchanged, in not allowing a sign in but also allowing browsing, searching and selecting of videos via TV remote, has extremely sinister implications as to how Google wants to treat YouTube Premium subscribers - allowing them to pay for Premium but also collecting ad revenue for videos they select via Chromecast app with their regular TV remote or the software YouTube mobile app remote.
  3. Restated my recommendations for a substantial gesture to resolve the issue, especially given @JenniferV 's response above claiming that a resolution is in the works, but that failure to do so (or a lacklustre response) will result in not only Chromecast and YouTube taking a hit but all the other products and services that Alphabet / Google provide, both by disappointed and betrayed users such as ourselves and potential new users should a larger news outlet than those already reporting on it decide to make a story out of it.

This page emails every reply.. so I received it via email.. quoted here for your sanity:

 

Re: I'm getting ads on YouTube when casting to Chromecast (2nd Generation) despite I have Premium.

Hi all

 

Looks like this issue is gaining a bit of traction in some tech news outlets, with articles about the issue on:

 

PiunikaWeb Android Gyaan Android Headlines Android Police

 

 

The Android Police article is especially interesting, showing a tweet from @TeamYouTube that appears to explicitly admit that the functionality being discussed in this thread was indeed present on the "older" Chromecast devices by way of saying:

"Signing in directly to YT on older Chromecast devices is not supported anymore.":

 

This is obviously at odds with the responses a lot of us have had personally, which indirectly infer that the functionality to sign into the Chromecast YouTube app was never supported on these "older" devices. Given the age of this tweet, one can infer that a conversation has been had internally as to how to minimise damage from this rather egregious deprecation and obsolescence of vital functionality by providing a party line in response to reports of the issue (the "working as intended" line a lot of us have had the pleasure of receiving), and likely explains why the Chromecast Ultra has mysteriously vanished from the Google Store).

 

All of this is surplus to the fact that, even if they were continuing with the "isn't supported anymore" line, I don't believe anybody received prior warning about this is any remote capacity.

 

 

 

What is more sinister still is that this YouTube app has not been removed from these Chromecast devices. I don't believe it would be particularly difficult to simply default these devices to the previous experience whereby the Chromecast simply displayed the YouTube logo and a "cast from device" direction.

 

This, to me, indicates that Alphabet / Google are seeking to "have their cake and eat it too" - by continuing to allow this ability to browse YouTube from the app despite no ability to sign in, they are continuing to gain ad revenue from YouTube Premium users who, when their devices are inconvenient to locate or unavailable (i.e. when others in the house are using the app, regardless of the presence of a YouTube Premium Family Subscription), are choosing / searching for videos from this app via their TV remotes and being subjected to advertisements we specifically pay Google not to have to see.

 

 

 

I still check my Chromecast Ultras daily to see if I can sign in (resetting the app every time and making sure the devices are up to date), however there has been absolutely zero change in the ability to sign into the app despite the functionality being advertised alongside YouTube Premium itself, but also unchanged in so far as the ability to choose videos from the app as a "Guest" is still present.

 

The numerous users in this thread and on other sites, as well as social media, whose outrage at this has prompted them to move away from all paid Alphabet / Google products is more than justified in this case. While my research has unearthed no criminal precedent that may form the basis of legal action against these companies, the truly awful way in which we have been treated in this situation is worthy of scandal and, were a larger news outlet to get hold of it and release articles / content on it, would provide an awful lot of sway for customers to favour competing devices, services and products from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and other less widely recognised providers.

 

 

 

@JenniferVhas claimed above that an active solution to this is being sought by the relevant teams within Alphabet / Google, and my long-term loyalty to Google compels me to at least hear what this solution is - whether this is what I have already recommended whereby all YouTube Premium subscribers internationally are offered a free Chromecast with Google TV device that does support this functionality (along the lines of the Stadia Premiere Edition offer made in the UK in 2020), or simply restoring the functionality to sign in on existing "older" devices and issuing an apology, or something else.

 

However my loyalty in this regard, and I'm sure that of others in a similar position who has not already (understandably) cut ties with their Google products, is not going to last forever. If no solution is reached soon, or the solution is insufficient in ameliorating the disappointment and reduced quality of content consumption we have experienced in this situation, I believe it will be very difficult for Alphabet, Google or YouTube to recover from this and its reach will extend beyond media devices and YouTube to Smart Home devices, Chromebook / Pixelbook devices, Google One, Android devices and possibly even Google Search itself.

 

Please, please, please - sort it out

Legend ❤️

Thank you

philippems
Community Member

I'm also having this exact same issue with my 3rd gen chromecast.

You know what's even worse? The fact that I can't even pay for the newest versions, because they're not available here in Brazil. Just feel like a total clown at this point.

six3seven
Community Member

I just lodged the following with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to see what options exist under Australian consumer protection laws:

 

I purchased 1 x Google Chromecast device. I tested to ensure it was fit for purpose. Once satisfied, purchased further devices to connect with other TVs in my home. These products are now out of warranty, so we have been used to their configuration for some time.

Recently, Google has removed features from the product, specifically sign-in for YouTube. Now, when watching YouTube, despite paying for YouTube premium to eliminate ads, YouTube serves ads to my family. Further, the recommended videos are not always age appropriate for my kids, and the autoplay feature cannot be turned off, exacerbating the content issues.

Google has recently released Google TV, and has a new product about to be released, which appear to have resulted in forced obsolescence of the Gen1, Gen2, and Gen3 Chromecast devices. Gen3 devices are still for sale in retail shops in Australia.

Google has responded that the removal of sign-in to YouTube on Chromecast has been deliberately removed.

This link has some history of the public discussion on the official Google Nest forum: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Chromecast/I-m-getting-ads-on-YouTube-when-casting-to-Chromec...

AvAsac
Community Member

I'm also in Australia so I'll be interested to see how the ACCC responds.  Keep me updated.

hBrinkDK
Community Member

Same issue here - totally crazy.
Payin' month after month Premium, and "puff" this feature seems to be usefull.
Shame om you(Tube)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
................ or is it Chromecast?????

It’s Google, collectively, who owns YouTube and Chromecast. They pulled sign-in support, meaning you can’t use your account directly on the Chromecast app. You are forced to stream from your phone, and Autoplay doesn’t always work as it should this way. So it will Autoplay a bunch of algorithm-generated recommendations to boost those videos viewerships. If you don’t like using your phone to stream, say for example you need to wear bifocals to see your phone AND the television, they want you to buy a new $50 Chromecast With Google TV instead. These units are 4K compatible and have a microphone built into the remote. Of course, they pulled this stunt before the release of a cheaper 1080p version of this newer Chromecast, without telling anyone. They say they the Sign In feature is no longer supported, but that’s because they flicked a switch with their middle finger in order to make you buy another product which will be obsoleted for no reason in the future again, and to increase YouTube revenue by making unaware users watch advertising if they don’t realize that they can’t sign in.

OMFG
Like Apple like Google

smi
Community Member

I kinda preferred it without the on-screen interface anyway. Just casting stuff from your phone was easier to use.

philippems
Community Member

Yes. I hope they bring back the old "ready to watch" screen.

smi
Community Member

Yup - it wouldn't hurt them to freshen up the imagery, but this is the solution.

Dalesun
Community Member

We all deserve refunds. Perhaps a class action lawsuit would wake them up.

smi
Community Member

As much as I love all your enthusiasm and righteous indignation, I'm not sure there are grounds for class action here, or refunds.

The obvious route of action is to deprecate the on-screen menu player for older Chromecasts and go back to the "ready to cast" screen, which doesn't suffer from the main issue, which is showing ads to premium members. Yes, there's a "reduction in functionality" but the on-screen Youtube view was an added thing rather than a thing that they were sold with.

TomGun
Community Member

This!

What we bought was the simplicity of the "ready to cast". This should be the default.

Problems that came with the on-screen menu aren't limited to ads for premium users and its also functionality that I believe the majority never asked for.

The reason I haven't bought the new chromecast with remote is precisely for this reason.

I also have a TV with chromecast built-in which now suffers from other issues that come with the on-screen menu.

Casting from other apps than YouTube works just fine, "ready to cast", why should we have to suffer from this for YouTube? 

I have given up on Google products in general. If it comes down to it, I’ll get a mini-PC to use as a television box. The problem with the old screen, for me anyway, is that due to the way I use YouTube now as opposed to when I bought my first-gen model, I now depend on using one remote to control all aspects. Basically, I go to bed and watch the news, then turn it off. I really can’t use my phone to navigate YouTube and watch the television in the distance, as I have gotten older and my eyes are not as good as they once were. I require glasses to see my phone clearly enough for the search function, but once I’ve taken off my glasses for bed I’m done. I’m not going back to bifocals just so I can watch TV from bed, either… my glasses are off. So for me, I need a stand-alone YouTube-capable device for my television, with the ability to sign into my Premium account. Nothing worse than having to turn down the television quickly because of some idiotic commercial that is three times louder than most YouTube channels, but the commercials themselves are bad in their own right.

Google is inconsistent with everything they do. They don’t stick to the game plan, they don’t support their hardware any longer than they have to, and they don’t care about public opinion. No manufacturer really cares about that anymore anyway, but at least Apple is fairly consistent and reliable. I’ve talked to the wife about replacing her Samsung with a Pixel, and at first she wanted to because the girls both have the 4a and they line them. But once she saw the camera bar, my wife says “nope… and the colors are terrible.” So she may be going back to an iPhone as well.

It won’t be long before Google starts to fail. “Too big to fail?” No, there is plenty of evidence that once mega-corporations get to the level of superiority that Google is at, they lose public trust and begin a downward spiral. I’m getting off this ship at the next port before they head back out to sea and hit an iceberg.

philippems
Community Member

I'm also having issues with some videos identified as sensitive content. In the example below I'm trying to watch the music video for "Placebo - Pure Morning". To watch I have to cast the video from my phone, select the remote control function and navigate the interface to press "yes". The first time I noticed this issue I was casting a playlist with this music video, but the list just skipped to the next one. I mean, of course this would happen if you can't log in anymore nor go back to the "ready to watch" interface.

This is so rudimentary. Does anyone has noticed this too?

photo_2022-07-29_11-47-25.jpg

Yes, this is so stupid. I never have to do that on phone or in browser but always when casting, both to chromecast and Android tv with chromecast built-in. This started some weeks ago and it's even more annoying than the not being able to sign in issue imo. 

FredBHZ
Community Member

Hi there! 

I'm also experiencing Ads on my chromecast videos even though I have a YT Premium account. 

Thats a bummer.

michabbb
Community Member

this problem exists for years, and google is doing nothing.  we should initiate a class action, but youtube can be happy because most people are too lazy to start legal actions ;-( 

Dalesun
Community Member

Over the past few days, a couple of phone calls, and 17 emails to Google support, I may finally be making some progress. After being forwarded from chromecast-support to purchase-support, I was told that this is "definitely not the experience we want you to encounter," and that "specialists are already looking into this" (with a link to this thread). I also discovered that Roku's very similar YouTube app stays signed-in with no problem.

Purchase-support also requested that I use the Google Home app to "submit feedback so that our engineers/specialists will get a report from you directly with your device logs," (which I have done). So that appears to be the best way to report this problem.

It's at least good to know that they apparently do not intend on deprecating (removing) the feature and intend to fix it eventually. 

This seems good. I already did "submitted feedback" in both Google Home and YouTube, with no response. Let's hope they're not just stalling us.

Still don't get why not bring back the much simpler "ready to watch" screen while solving the problem.

They are stalling. The “fix” will be to remove the sign-in button altogether.

Unfortunately I agree.

Sounds like putin pretending to want to negotiate with Europe.

Kennedy
Community Member

I got reply from purchase-support also.

"We really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, as we're constantly working to improve the YouTube experience. I can't answer what happened and why the feature was removed. You can add your response or feedback to that topic in the Community Forum. 

I'll be sure to pass along your feedback to our product team so that your voice is heard."

Kennedy
Community Member

This is bull**bleep**.
I want my original functions back in my Chromecast. I have paid for my device to work certain way and you don't have right to remove those features without permission.

MortallyWounded
Community Member

This is not a difficult “problem” to fix. I do not believe Google has any intention of fixing it. I also don't believe Google has any intention of “making it right.” Not enough people are actually concerned, and Google knows that. They have ignored emails, Twitter, this forum, magazine articles, and, all bug reports. It is the beginning of a precedent that will let Google continue to treat consumers like dirt in all of their upcoming products. All that was good in Google is gone. Its just a Chromecast, but they've been declining enough previously to make me actually switch to an iPhone last year. They’re dead to me. If they want to win me back, they can fix this, and send me a few free phones. No way I’m voluntarily paying for this nonsense any more. Not after years of loyalty and advertising by me.

michabbb
Community Member

i will come back in 2 years and this thread will have twice as many postings as now and the problem still will exist. google just needs to wait long enough, till they can argue: "oh, I am so sorry, but your Chromecast is no longer supported" - problem: solved.

Ignore the problem until it goes away.

And really, there is no legal recourse, except potentially an antitrust suit. That would take thousands of people and tens of thousands of dollars just to start. And actually winning? No. Google knows they are untouchable. So the only option is to just boycott them, not that it would fix anything, except we’d be going from Google to other services which can do the same thing.

I’ll keep my PS4 hooked up until I get a mini desktop.

And yet the EU has laws around supportability 10 years after end of production.. you know, to prevent people making massive piles of landfill.

 

Google is just following the American consumer model.

Dalesun
Community Member

Another YouTube support team member has now directly contradicted what I was originally told, explaining that apparently, rather than correct this problem, Google has now decided to discontinue support for this functionality on Chromecast with YouTube Premium. They also included some wishful thinking, saying Hopefully, in the near future old Chromecast devices will be supported again.” 

So, while the basic Chromecast is still for sale in the Google Store, Google broke its functionality with a software update, and refuses to correct it, simply declaring it unsupported until whatever time they might get around to fixing it. This is unacceptable.

The app continues to appear on Chromecast after casting from YouTube, with a "Sign in" button, which responds with a banner that instructs users to "Sign in for the best experience" and includes another "Sign in" button that responds with the error. Does YouTube really believe such an awful user experience is acceptable?

The functionally and visually identical Roku app stays signed-in to YouTube with no problem, demonstrating that the functionality is still supported elsewhere, and that the necessary APIs and backend processes are still working fine. So it can't be hard to fix, but Google refuses to correct their own breaking of functionality, and even described it as intentional on Twitter. Such disregard for customers looks like the behavior of an abusive monopoly.

Outside aid might be available through a Demand for Arbitration as detailed in the Google Arbitration Agreement (part of what you’re required to agree to when activating the device). This can actually work out better than a class action. New legislation might also help to prevent such abandonment of products in the future.

Google should still just do the right thing, making such measures unnecessary.

@Dalesun Your first paragraph makes for harrowing reading. Have they specified ALL Chromecast devices (including Chromecast with Google TV devices), or was it more in line with the tweet you linked where it is the older devices that are not going to be supported.

If the latter, then at least there is still hope for Google to do the only thing they could have done to make amends, which was offer a free CCWGTV device to each Premium subscriber.

Also, as I've said before, if sign-in support has been removed for any device then the entire navigable YouTube interface on that device as well. To accept our Premium subscription payments and then expect us to watch ads, too? Utterly despicable behaviour, and not the Google that I had previously admired so much who, as much as they were able, seemed to not go in for the full capitalist "have ones cake and eat it too" gambit.