Spotify not casting to Chromecast has been an ongoing issue for years. For some weeks or even months, Spotify and Chromecast might work flawlessly, then suddenly both stop working.
The problem starts after choosing a Chromecast device from the Spotify mobile app.
You hear the familiar sound from the speakers connected to the Chromecast, but in the app, nothing happens. You only see the blinking cast icon. Then after a minute, it stops blinking.
I’m sure this must be Spotify’s problem (or Spotify’s Chromecast API implementation) as other apps don’t have this problem. I’m able to cast flawlessly when these issues appear on Spotify.
Spotify acknowledges this issue, stating that they are aware of the intermittent connection and playback issues with Chromecast. They have passed this problem to the relevant teams.
While they are continuously trying to optimize the net code and API integrations to make this issue happen as little as possible, it is still a problem that is happening today.
Here are some hacks to do if Spotify Chromecast is not working:
1. Make sure your TV is connected to the same network
Make sure you have set up Chromecast correctly. Open Spotify on your device, and make sure it is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast. Then, select something to play.
2. Sign out everywhere
The next thing you should try is to sign out everywhere. You need to sign out from all devices using the account from the Spotify account management website.
3. Restart both Spotify and Google Chromecast
If you have tried signing out from Spotify on all devices, but it is not casting to Chromecast, you should try restarting your devices and restart Spotify multiple times.
When I first encountered this issue, I had to restart my devices (smartphone and Chromecast) as well as Spotify before I was able to establish a good connection.
This is not the ideal solution, but it has certainly worked for some people.
4. Try casting from another device
If Spotify won’t connect to Chromecast from your mobile device, try casting from another device (like your laptop) to the Chromecast. For some reason, this simple trick works like a charm.
What’s odd is that after casting Spotify from my laptop, my phone started working too.
It makes sense that this would work. Often, Chromecast can get “stuck” or “locked” by an incomplete cast session, which causes this problem.
I’ve been able to fix it by going into the Google Home app and hitting stop on the media that it shows playing on the Chromecast, but sometimes that doesn’t show.
By casting from another device, Chromecast would reset that faulty session. I just wish there is a foolproof method to do this without having to disconnect the other device.
5. Open Spotify with Google Chrome
When running Spotify on your computer, you can use the desktop app or the Web Player. Try the latter. Open Spotify by using Google Chrome by going to https://open.spotify.com/.
I was able to cast Spotify by using the Web Player in Google Chrome. I also used Chrome’s tab cast functionality to cast to the Chromecast (audio).
This may have helped get something unstuck from Spotify because now all my other clients suddenly start working again. It’s not the ideal solution but it works like a charm.
Honestly, this is my go-to method to get Spotify casting again. For whatever reason, Google tends to have an easier time recognizing services within its ecosystem like the Chrome browser.
I always do a “weekly refresh” cast from Google Chrome to get the mobile app casting going. This problem has been driving me nuts over the years, but now at least I have a remedy.
6. Load up songs in a queue
I have to thank my friend for telling me about this hack. He had this issue when trying to play a song on his Google Chromecast via the Spotify mobile phone app.
Instead of playing an individual song, load a playlist on Spotify before casting to Chromecast. You can also create a queue, then press “next song” to listen to a song.
It may not work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me. I tried playing an individual song again, but that didn’t register with the Chromecast for some reason.
So whenever I want to cast Spotify from my mobile phone to Chromecast, I add whatever song I want to play into a queue, then press the “next song” button to listen to the actual song.
And the best part is, I don’t have to log in to a different browser or cast Spotify from my laptop. This can all be done straight from the Spotify app. It’s the perfect hack for mobile phone users.
7. Upgrade your router
Last but not least, you can always upgrade your router.
I decided to buy a new router when the list of Chromecast devices would be constantly changing. I also noticed that the connection to Chromecast devices was intermittent.
Mind you, everything else on my network is working fine. I have around 35 mobile and smart devices in my home and I think I was reaching the maximum number of devices on my router.
That’s when I decided to upgrade to a TP-Link Deco M9 Plus. It supports up to 100 devices and now Spotify and Chromecast work flawlessly. If you have the means, upgrade your router.
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