Google launched the TV Streamer in August 2024. When it did so, it confirmed that this device would gradually replace the Chromecast.
Now, that is becoming a reality, as the Chromecast is no longer available to buy via the Google Store, which was the plan when stock ran out.
The Google TV Streamer is a more premium device than we’ve seen from the tech giant before, trading the dongle build for a set-top box and introducing new additions such as Matter connectivity and an ethernet slot for faster, wired internet speeds.
However, if you already own a Chromecast device, you may be wondering whether it’s still supported. We have everything you need to know.
Read our full Google TV Streamer review.
Will Google stop supporting my Chromecast model when the TV Streamer is released?
Following the launch of the Google TV Streamer, a blog post about the history of Chromecast was posted. This had the following quote:
The time has now come to evolve the smart TV streaming device category — primed for the new area of AI, entertainment and smart homes. With this, there are no changes to our support policy for existing Chromecast devices, with continued software and security updates to the latest devices.
In simple terms, if you have a Chromecast device (other than the one from 2013) then there is no need to worry about losing out on software or security updates just yet.
Jared Newman / Foundry
When could support for my Chromecast end?
As of January 2025 (the date of the latest update, when this article was edited) Google still supports every model it has released, bar the first generation which stopped support in 2023, a decade since it first hit shelves. According to The Verge, support was ended rather quietly.
Here’s when all the other Chromecast models released:
- Chromecast 2nd-gen – 2015
- Chromecast Ultra – 2016
- Chromecast 3rd-gen – 2018
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2020
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2022
Google has not officially confirmed how long each device will be supported until. However, if it uses the same ten-year cycle as we saw with the first-gen Chromecasts, then we’d see support end roughly around the following years:
- Chromecast 2nd-gen – 2025
- Chromecast Ultra – 2026
- Chromecast 3rd-gen – 2028
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2030
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2032
We have listed the 2nd-gen Chromecast as this year. As of right now, Google still supports it – for reference, the device hit shelves in September 2015, so if support were to last exactly a decade, it would end this autumn.
We’d like to reaffirm that these dates are estimations only. If we hear anything more from Google, we’ll update this article.
What happens when Google stops supporting my Chromecast?
On the official help pages for Chromecast updates, Google has the following message about its 1st-gen model:
Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended, which means these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google doesn’t provide technical support for them. Users might notice a degradation in performance.
Therefore, it appears that while devices will not stop working overnight, Google won’t continue to roll out improvements and bug fixes, so over time they will become slower and filled with more errors. In addition, users won’t get the latest additions to the Google ecosystem, such as new library interfaces or app updates.
For now, the only users that need to worry about this are those with a Chromecast from 2013.
If that’s you, or you’re considering getting a new device, then check out our chart of the best streaming sticks. You can also find out the key thing that the Google TV Streamer is missing.
Read the full article here
