TL;DR
- Google is ending software support for the first Chromecast.
- The device launched in 2013 and is now over a decade old.
- The last update to the first generation Chromecast came in November 2022.
Google has ended support for the first generation Chromecast that launched back in 2013. That was a decade ago, so it seems about right that Google is pulling the device out of its update priority list.
The company’s announcement was spotted on the Chromecast support page by 9to5Google. “Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended, which means these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance,” Google has written on the page.
The last update to the first generation Chromecast came in November 2022, with version number 1.36.159268. It brought some bug fixes and performance improvements to the device. That itself was the first update the device received in three years.
If you’re still using the original Chromecast, you can continue doing so, even if Google won’t release any new updates for it. That said, you may notice some performance issues due to the lack of continued software support.
You could also just upgrade to one of the newer Chromecasts with Google TV. The $29.99 1080p model of the streaming device is almost three years old but features Android 12-based Android TV software. It also recently received an update with a new app hibernation mode that frees up space by archiving unused apps. You could also opt for the $42.99 4K Chromecast with Google TV that’ll surely receive longer updates than the 1080p version since it launched not too long ago in September 2022.