Chromecast w/ Google TV (4K) starts streaming random service when powered on)

[MikeyInCVCA]

Hi, 

Within the last few weeks, I've noticed an odd issue with my Chromecast with Google TV (4K). 

When I press the POWER button on the remote, the attached TV turns on, as expected. At the same time, the CCwGTV4K navigate to one of the streaming services (usually YouTube TV or Hulu) and start playing a random show.

In the past, pressing the POWER button always led to the CCwGTV4K showing its home screen. Occasionally, the CCwGTV4K will power up to that, but more frequently, it's YT TV or Hulu, AND it starts showing a program.

When I'm done watching TV for the evening, I first press the HOME button, wait until the menu appears, then I press the POWER button on the remote, which causes the TV to turn off. Since I'm going to the home screen, it's not like a show is continuing to play (or even is sitting paused) when I shut off--nothing is streaming at that time.

As well, when the CCwGTV4K starts a random show, it often is not the same streamer as I'd been watching when I ended my session (as noted, by pressing HOME and then POWER). 

I'm the only person in the household, so it's not a case of someone else tuning to one of the shows/streamers. I do have other Google and Nest devices in the house, but I'm not using them to manage this CCwGTV4K.

Is anyone else experiencing anything like this? Is there any sort of "log" that I can see what's causing this? ...thanks!

[Guarcax]

Hi @MikeyInCVCA!

Thanks for posting in the community. 
I’m sorry for the inconveniences that you’ve been experiencing with your Chromecast with Google TV 4K. I understand that it has been having an odd behavior; when you turn on the device, it automatically opens up YouTube or Hulu and plays random content even though there is nothing open when you turn off the device. No worries, I’m glad to help you in this.

To further assist you, I will need some information. Here are some questions for you:

• When did the issue start?
• Have you changed any settings on your device?
• What troubleshooting steps have you taken?
• Is your device updated?

In the meantime, you can try the next steps:

1. Clear the cache for YouTube and Hulu.
1. From the Google TV home screen, go to the profile picture and select Settings.
2. Go to Apps, and then choose any of the apps.
3. Select Clear cache, and finally hit Ok.
2. Also, you can check for app or system updates.
1. From the Google TV home screen, go to the profile picture and select Settings.
2. Select System, then go to About and finally to System Update.
3. If a system update is available, install it.

I will be waiting for your response.

Regards,

Daniel.

[MikeyInCVCA]

Hi, Daniel,

I apologize for the delay in responding, but I was waiting to see if the issue would happen again. It hasn't happened for a couple of weeks, but it just did a few minutes ago.

Last night, I watched NBC on YT TV, from about 7:15 pm through the end of The Tonight Show. I doubt it's a factor, but right after The Tonight Show started, I paused the stream for ~20 minutes to walk the dog. When I returned, I resumed and watched the rest of the show. When I was done watching (just as Seth Meyers' show started), I pressed HOME on the remote and then POWER.

A few minutes ago (~6:45 pm PST) I pressed POWER on the remote. The TV powered up and the Hulu logo was showing. Without touching the remote, I then saw a couple of commercials, followed by S7 E11 of Scandal. (I binge-watched Scandal earlier this fall, but I'd completed the series, so showing that episode randomly is rather odd.)

To answer your questions:

• When did the issue start? 4-5 weeks ago. I didn't pay attention at first because I thought it might be glitches or maybe I really had hit the remote's POWER button while the show was streaming. When this behavior continued, I started ensuring that I was pressing HOME before POWER when ending my watching session.
• Have you changed any settings on your device? Before this started, not that I recall. However, a couple of weeks ago (after several instances), I combed through the settings to see if there was something to make a show auto-start (but I didn't find anything). I ran across the setting that makes the TV power off after an amount of inactivity, and changed it from 30 minutes to 4 hours (I was getting frustrated by the TV shutting off while I was walking the dog). Again, that change was after this behavior started.
• What troubleshooting steps have you taken? Going through all the settings to see if there was anything that is supposed to make this happen (and finding nothing).
• Is your device updated? According to Settings > About > System Update, yes. I've also rebooted a few times, but the issue has occurred since then.

Regarding the "next steps," I just cleared cache for both Hulu and YT TV (and I also did a Force Stop). Under Settings > Apps > Manage Updates > See available updates, it says "No updates available." If it's useful to know, storage is 3.6 GB of 4.4 GB used. As mentioned, no system updates are available, but the other data points are:

• Android TV OS security patch level: September 1, 2024
• Kernel Version: 4.9.269 / #1 Tue Aug 27 08:49:14 UTC 2024
• Android TV OS build: STTL.240812.006.12286094

I will provide another reply in this thread if this happens again. ...thanks!

[Guarcax]

Hi @MikeyInCVCA!

Thanks for your reply.

I appreciate all the information you shared with me. I can see that the issue just happened again after a couple of weeks, and I know how annoying this can be for you because you have also checked the settings of your device, and everything seems to be okay. In case this happens again, I will suggest you perform a factory reset to your device, and then you will be sure that all the information in the device is deleted and this behavior shouldn’t happen again.

You can check the next article for further information: How to factory reset your Chromecast. 

Tell me how it goes.

Regards,

Daniel.

[MikeyInCVCA]

Thanks for the reply, Daniel, but I will just have to live with the problem. If I do a factory reset, then I'll have to reinstall and relogin to all my apps, along with updating all my device preferences, which would take a couple of hours, at least. I don't have that amount of time to spare.

In addition, I will be dropping my Hulu subscription by the end of this month, as it's time to move on to the next streamer (I rotate streaming services). It will be interesting to see what will happen when Hulu no longer works for me.

[Guarcax]

Hi @MikeyInCVCA! 

I understand why you'd rather not factory reset your Chromecast with Google TV; it can take you a long time to set it up again. I hope this behavior stops when your Hulu subscription ends. I appreciate your effort and patience.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you encounter any further problems or have other questions. I’m here to assist you.

Regards,

Daniel.