Discovery Troubleshooting
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The Cast SDK performs device discovery, as described for
Android,
Web,
and iOS, to provide the user with a list of
available Cast-enabled devices. The sender app can then connect
to a receiver device and begin casting. When device discovery fails, the issue
may be with the app (sender or Cast-enabled devices)
the Cast device, or the network.
This document describes ways to troubleshoot for device discovery problems: the
Cast-enabled devices does not appear in the list of connected
Cast devices or, worse, the Cast button does not appear when you run the sender
app. Because there are so many potential factors, and so many variables in the
discovery process, these measures may not definitively prove any one cause, but
they help you narrow down the possible causes.
Before investigating your device discovery problem, be sure the following
conditions are established:
- The sender device is running a Cast app that you can use for testing.
Do not use the Netflix or YouTube apps to test discovery, as these
use some specialized discovery mechanisms.
- The Web Receiver device is an official Google Cast device. For example,
Chromecast, Google Home, or Google Nest Hub.
- The sender device must have WiFi enabled and running.
- The sender device and the Cast-enabled devices device must be
connected to the same WiFi network.
Also, see Debugging for more information about
debugging your Web Receiver application.
To get further assistance with your issue, gather all available information such
as debugging logs, ping response data, and network service data, and use one of
the support options described in Google Cast Support.
Check the sender app
- Connect both the sender and the Cast-enabled devices to the same
WiFi network.
Restart the sender app.
- On Android, force the app to stop by using the Android system settings.
Then re-launch the app.
- On iOS, double-click the home button, select the sender app, and swipe
it away to shut it down. Then re-launch the app.
In the sender app, touch the Cast button to view Cast devices on the network.
If the Cast-enabled device is now listed (discovered), there may
still be a problem with the sender app. Observe the sender app and note the
conditions under which it loses its ability to discover your receiver: what
is happpening in the app? Is the time to connection loss consistent over
several restarts?
Run a different sender app (not Netflix or YouTube), and touch the Cast
button to view Cast devices on the network.
If other apps are consistently discovering your receiver, and your
sender app isn't, the problem is probably in your sender app. On the other
hand, if all apps have problems discovering your receiver, the problem may
be with your receiver or the network.
Run your sender app on a different platform (if possible).
When running your sender app on other platforms, is the discovery
behavior the same?
Run any app (not Netflix or YouTube) on a different platform than that of
your sender app.
If your sender app is on the Android platform, run a different app
on iOS, and vice versa. If all apps of a certain platform fail consistently,
while those of another do not, the problem may be with the platform.
Synchronize the devices
The authentication handshake between the sender and receiver can fail if there
is a significant disparity between the system time on the sender device and that
of the Cast-enabled device. A disparity of as little as 10 minutes may
cause authentication to fail.
The system time on a Cast device is immutable and the device can maintain the
correct time if connected to the internet. The system time on most sender
devices (such as a phone) is mutable, but you should allow the device to get the
system time automatically by connecting it to the internet.
If the system time on either the sender or the receiver is incorrect, reboot the
device and connect it to the internet. If the device is unable to maintain the
correct time, contact the device vendor.
Ping the devices
When you ping the devices, note the response message content so you can report
it in any communication to Google Cast Support.
- Connect both the sender and the receiver to the same WiFi network and verify
that both devices indicate they are connected.
Find the Cast-enabled device IP address.
Use the Google Home app to retrieve the IP address of a Cast
device (excluding Android TV). For Android TV, get the IP address from the
Settings > Device > Network > WiFi > Network > Status Info
menu.
Connect a computer to the same WiFi network as the Cast-enabled
device and open a command line interface.
Ping the Cast device and note the response.
ping <Cast-enabled device IP address>
Ping the multicast addresses and note the responses.
You can perform this test whether you have the
Cast-enabled device's IP address or not. Ping the multicast IP addresses as
follows:
ping 224.0.0.1ping 239.255.255.250ping 224.0.0.251
Find the IP address of the sender device.
Usually the Settings menu has this information. In Android, look in Settings
> About > Status.
Ping the sender device and note the response.
ping <sender device IP address>
If you can't get a response when you ping either device, see
Check the router.
Check the router
Some network routers support Cast better than others, and Google has tested most
of the major brands. The following steps may help identify router issues.
- On your network router, turn off AP isolation.
- Check your router
for any known issues and additional information.
Search the internet to see how other users have resolved router issues with
Chromecast.
For example, enter the query, "Chromecast Belkin n300."
Update your router's firmware.
See the manufacturer's instructions. The router firmware may have bugs that
can be resolved with a simple update.
Reboot your network router by turning it off then restarting it.
Reboot your Cast device.
To reboot a Chromecast, unplug then replace the USB cable. Similarly, for
other Cast devices, turn on then turn off the device to reboot it.
Check the traffic
You can see if the Web Receiver is communicating properly with the network by
inspecting the broadcast services on the network.
- On a device connected to the same network as the Web Receiver device,
install one of the network service inspection utilities listed below.
Run the utility and find the _googlecast._tcp.local service record.
This record will describe your Web Receiver device name and model
along with service data.
- Copy the record information for communication to Google Cast Support.
Install the network service inspection utilities as follows:
Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2024-09-18 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2024-09-18 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe Cast SDK enables device discovery for Android, Web, and iOS to display available Cast devices, and troubleshooting steps are provided for when this process fails.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003ePreliminary checks involve using a Cast app (excluding Netflix or YouTube) and ensuring both sender and Cast devices are on the same WiFi network, are properly connected, and have the correct system time.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eSender app troubleshooting includes restarting the app, trying a different app, testing on another platform, and observing patterns in discovery failure to pinpoint the issue source.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eNetwork and router issues can be investigated by pinging devices to assess connectivity, disabling AP isolation on the router, checking for known router issues and firmware updates, and rebooting network devices.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAnalyzing network traffic involves installing network service inspection utilities and checking the "_googlecast._tcp.local" service record for information about the Web Receiver device and potential communication problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The Cast SDK enables device discovery for casting. Troubleshooting involves ensuring the sender and receiver are on the same WiFi, not using Netflix/YouTube for testing, and using official Cast devices. Steps include restarting the sender app, testing different apps/platforms, and verifying time synchronization. Network troubleshooting includes pinging devices, checking router settings (AP isolation, firmware updates, rebooting), and inspecting network traffic with utilities like Bonjour Browser. Collected information such as logs, ping data, and service records, can help with further support.\n"],null,["# Discovery Troubleshooting\n\nThe Cast SDK performs device discovery, as described for\n[Android](/cast/docs/android_sender_integrate),\n[Web](/cast/docs/web_sender/integrate),\nand [iOS](/cast/docs/ios_sender_integrate), to provide the user with a list of\navailable Cast-enabled devices. The sender app can then connect\nto a receiver device and begin casting. When device discovery fails, the issue\nmay be with the app (sender or Cast-enabled devices)\nthe Cast device, or the network.\n\nThis document describes ways to troubleshoot for device discovery problems: the\nCast-enabled devices does not appear in the list of connected\nCast devices or, worse, the Cast button does not appear when you run the sender\napp. Because there are so many potential factors, and so many variables in the\ndiscovery process, these measures may not definitively prove any one cause, but\nthey help you narrow down the possible causes.\n\nBefore investigating your device discovery problem, be sure the following\nconditions are established:\n\n- The sender device is running a Cast app that you can use for testing. Do not use the Netflix or YouTube apps to test discovery, as these use some specialized discovery mechanisms.\n- The Web Receiver device is an official Google Cast device. For example, Chromecast, Google Home, or Google Nest Hub.\n- The sender device must have WiFi enabled and running.\n- The sender device and the Cast-enabled devices device must be connected to the same WiFi network.\n\nAlso, see [Debugging](/cast/docs/debugging) for more information about\ndebugging your Web Receiver application.\n\nTo get further assistance with your issue, gather all available information such\nas debugging logs, ping response data, and network service data, and use one of\nthe support options described in [Google Cast Support](/cast/docs/support).\n\nCheck the sender app\n--------------------\n\n1. Connect both the sender and the Cast-enabled devices to the same WiFi network.\n2. Restart the sender app.\n\n - On Android, force the app to stop by using the Android system settings. Then re-launch the app.\n - On iOS, double-click the home button, select the sender app, and swipe it away to shut it down. Then re-launch the app.\n3. In the sender app, touch the Cast button to view Cast devices on the network.\n If the Cast-enabled device is now listed (discovered), there may\n still be a problem with the sender app. Observe the sender app and note the\n conditions under which it loses its ability to discover your receiver: what\n is happpening in the app? Is the time to connection loss consistent over\n several restarts?\n\n4. Run a different sender app (not Netflix or YouTube), and touch the Cast\n button to view Cast devices on the network.\n\n If other apps are consistently discovering your receiver, and your\n sender app isn't, the problem is probably in your sender app. On the other\n hand, if all apps have problems discovering your receiver, the problem may\n be with your receiver or the network.\n5. Run your sender app on a different platform (if possible).\n\n When running your sender app on other platforms, is the discovery\n behavior the same?\n6. Run any app (not Netflix or YouTube) on a different platform than that of\n your sender app.\n\n If your sender app is on the Android platform, run a different app\n on iOS, and vice versa. If all apps of a certain platform fail consistently,\n while those of another do not, the problem may be with the platform.\n\nSynchronize the devices\n-----------------------\n\nThe authentication handshake between the sender and receiver can fail if there\nis a significant disparity between the system time on the sender device and that\nof the Cast-enabled device. A disparity of as little as 10 minutes may\ncause authentication to fail.\n\nThe system time on a Cast device is immutable and the device can maintain the\ncorrect time if connected to the internet. The system time on most sender\ndevices (such as a phone) is mutable, but you should allow the device to get the\nsystem time automatically by connecting it to the internet.\n\nIf the system time on either the sender or the receiver is incorrect, reboot the\ndevice and connect it to the internet. If the device is unable to maintain the\ncorrect time, contact the device vendor.\n\nPing the devices\n----------------\n\nWhen you ping the devices, note the response message content so you can report\nit in any communication to [Google Cast Support](/cast/docs/support).\n\n1. Connect both the sender and the receiver to the same WiFi network and verify that both devices indicate they are connected.\n2. Find the Cast-enabled device IP address.\n\n Use the Google Home app to retrieve the IP address of a Cast\n device (excluding Android TV). For Android TV, get the IP address from the\n Settings \\\u003e Device \\\u003e Network \\\u003e WiFi \\\u003e Network \\\u003e Status Info\n menu.\n3. Connect a computer to the same WiFi network as the Cast-enabled\n device and open a command line interface.\n\n4. Ping the Cast device and note the response.\n\n `ping \u003cCast-enabled device IP address\u003e`\n5. Ping the multicast addresses and note the responses.\n You can perform this test whether you have the\n Cast-enabled device's IP address or not. Ping the multicast IP addresses as\n follows:\n\n - `ping 224.0.0.1`\n - `ping 239.255.255.250`\n - `ping 224.0.0.251`\n6. Find the IP address of the sender device.\n Usually the Settings menu has this information. In Android, look in Settings\n \\\u003e About \\\u003e Status.\n\n7. Ping the sender device and note the response.\n\n `ping \u003csender device IP address\u003e`\n\nIf you can't get a response when you ping either device, see\n[Check the router](#router).\n\nCheck the router\n----------------\n\nSome network routers support Cast better than others, and Google has tested most\nof the major brands. The following steps may help identify router issues.\n\n1. On your network router, turn off [AP isolation](https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/3213084).\n2. [Check your router](https://support.google.com/chromecast/table/3477832?ref_topic=3447927) for any known issues and additional information.\n3. Search the internet to see how other users have resolved router issues with\n Chromecast.\n\n For example, enter the query, \"[Chromecast Belkin n300](https://www.google.com/#newwindow=1&q=chromecast%20belkin%20n300).\"\n4. Update your router's firmware.\n\n See the manufacturer's instructions. The router firmware may have bugs that\n can be resolved with a simple update.\n5. Reboot your network router by turning it off then restarting it.\n\n6. Reboot your Cast device.\n\n To reboot a Chromecast, unplug then replace the USB cable. Similarly, for\n other Cast devices, turn on then turn off the device to reboot it.\n\nCheck the traffic\n-----------------\n\nYou can see if the Web Receiver is communicating properly with the network by\ninspecting the broadcast services on the network.\n\n1. On a device connected to the same network as the Web Receiver device, install one of the network service inspection utilities listed below.\n2. Run the utility and find the **_googlecast._tcp.local** service record.\n\n This record will describe your Web Receiver device name and model\n along with service data.\n\n \u003cbr /\u003e\n\n3. Copy the record information for communication to [Google Cast Support.](/cast/docs/support)\n\n \u003cbr /\u003e\n\nInstall the network service inspection utilities as follows:\n\n- Apple OSX - Install [Bonjour Browser from Tildesoft](http://www.tildesoft.com/)\n\n- Linux - Install avahi-discovery and run it as follows:\n\n - `sudo apt-get install avahi-discover`\n - `sudo service avahi-daemon start`\n - `avahi-discover`"]]