According to Ars Technica, Netflix has quietly updated its Android app over the last few weeks to disable Google Cast support in most situations. To even see the casting option now, you must be subscribed to one of Netflix’s ad-free plans, which start at $18 per month, locking out users on the cheaper $8 ad-supported tier. Even for paying subscribers, casting is only supported on older devices without a remote, like the 3rd Gen Chromecast from 2018, and not on modern dongles with remotes or smart TVs with the Netflix app. This mirrors a similar move the company made against Apple AirPlay back in 2019. The change effectively forces users to log into the native Netflix app on most modern TVs, a shift the company has clarified on its support site.
The real reason behind the lockdown
Here’s the thing: this isn’t really about technical limitations. It’s about control. Netflix has completely flipped its script on password sharing, going from a wink-and-a-nudge approach to a hardline enforcement strategy. Forcing you to log into a TV app is a perfect way to trip up shared accounts. You hit device limits faster, and Netflix can more easily prompt you to upgrade your plan. It’s a business move, plain and simple.
But there’s another layer. Netflix is obsessed with its curated TV interface—the one with autoplaying trailers and endless scrolling. That interface is designed for maximum engagement, which is a key metric for investors. You can’t force-feed someone previews when they’re just casting a single show from their phone. Casting is a utilitarian, goal-oriented action. Netflix’s TV app is an experience meant to keep you browsing. They want you in their walled garden, not just tossing content over the fence.
Who gets hurt and who doesn’t care
So who’s actually upset? Frequent travelers, for one. Casting was a brilliant hack for Airbnbs and hotels. You could beam your show to a strange TV without ever typing your password into an unfamiliar device. Now? You have to go through the tedious login process and, crucially, remember to log out. And let’s be honest, Netflix doesn’t make signing out easy.
But the backlash might be muted. Ars Technica notes that Google itself has moved on, retiring the Chromecast brand for more full-featured streaming devices. Most new TVs come with Netflix baked in. The pool of people who *need* to cast is shrinking. Netflix probably did the math and decided the angry travelers were a minority they could afford to alienate.
A hostile way to treat subscribers
The most grating part of all this is the stealth. There was no announcement, no email. They just updated the app and changed a support page. For a company that wants to be the central hub of your entertainment, that’s a pretty hostile way to treat the people paying the bills. It sends a clear message: your convenience is secondary to our business model and engagement metrics.
It makes you wonder what’s next. If they can quietly kill a feature this widely used, what other “inconveniences” might they engineer to nudge behavior? This isn’t just about casting. It’s a signal of how Netflix views its relationship with users now. We’re not in the early, permissive days of streaming anymore. We’re in the era of the upsell, and every feature is on the table.
