Google Apologizes for ‘Untrusted Device’ Outage Plaguing Certain Chromecast Models

Over the weekend, 9to5Google reported that second-gen Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices displayed an “Untrusted device” error message, preventing users from casting audio and video content onto their screens of choice.

On Wednesday, Google sent an apology email to people affected by the outage, saying it was “working to roll out a fix as soon as possible.”

We’re contacting you because of a disruption affecting Chromecast (2nd gen) and Chromecast Audio devices. We apologize for the issue and understand your frustration. We are working to roll out a fix as soon as possible and will share updates and guidance on the Nest Community page. We appreciate your patience as we resolve this issue.

The email comes after a Nest Community post on Monday told Chromecast 2nd gen and Chromecast Audio owners that it was working on a fix. In the meantime, users are advised not to factory reset their devices, since they could run into more problems re-setting them up.

Both devices were released in 2015, and newer Chromecast models (3rd gen or later) weren’t affected. 9to5Google says that features like the time, screensavers, and the weather still work fine on those devices, but the ability to cast video and music doesn’t.

Google hasn’t said what caused the outages on the devices; however, The Verge discovered a post from one Reddit user who claims it might be “due to the certificate baked into the Chromecast” expiring on March 9, which is when the first reports of the issue started coming in.

Early speculation was that Google was simply bricking the nearly decade-old devices, which wouldn’t be surprising since the company officially sent the Chromecast to the graveyard last year and replaced it with the Google TV Streamer. Here’s hoping a fix comes soon, especially if you’re eager to see how this week’s heartbreaking episode of Daredevil: Born Again turned out.