Google’s Second-Gen Chromecast Hit by Major Outage Due to Expired Certificate
Google's second-generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices have been hit with a major outage, leaving users unable to stream content. The issue, which surfaced on Sunday, prevents these devices from connecting to TVs, displaying error messages such as "Untrusted device" and "We couldn't authenticate your Chromecast." Frustrated users took to social media and forums, with some speculating that Google was quietly retiring older devices. However, Google has confirmed that the problem stems from an expired authentication certificate.
The expired certificate, which lapsed on March 9th, 2025, prevented the affected Chromecasts from securely connecting to Google’s backend systems. As a result, users have been unable to stream from platforms like Netflix and YouTube. While newer Chromecast models remain unaffected, the issue has left second-gen Chromecast owners frustrated, with some trying various fixes, including factory resets—something Google has now warned against. "Do not factory reset your device - we will keep you all updated when the fix rolls out," the company stated on its Nest support forum.
Tech-savvy users traced the issue back to Google's expired intermediate certificate authority, a key component in device authentication. Some have attempted a workaround by rolling back their phone’s date to before March 9th, but this fix has been unreliable and doesn’t work for everyone. Meanwhile, Google has confirmed that engineers are working on a resolution, but an official fix has yet to be rolled out.
The timing of the outage has fueled speculation that Google may be phasing out older devices. The company discontinued the Chromecast product line in 2024, replacing it with Google TV, but had promised continued support for existing devices. Similar certificate lapses have affected other tech companies in the past, including Microsoft and Cisco, disrupting services unexpectedly.
For now, affected Chromecast users can only wait for Google’s official fix. Those who have already performed a factory reset will receive recovery instructions once the issue is resolved. Google has not provided a timeline for when the fix will be available.
