Could not communicate with your Chromecast (FIX)

One of the selling points of Google-made smart devices is the ease of use (especially during setup) but that doesn’t seem to be the case for some Chromecast users. Some Chromecast users report that they get the Could not communicate with your Chromecast error when they try to set up the device. For others, the active Chromecast goes offline for no apparent reason in Google Home. Luckily, we have a few solutions to recommend that will, hopefully, help you address the problem. Check them out below.

Table of contents:

1. Restart your Chromecast
2. Check the network
3. Use Device Utility for 1st-Gen Chromecast
4. Reinstall Google Home
5. Factory reset the Chromecast

I can’t connect my phone to Chromecast

If you can’t connect your phone to Chromecast, make sure to restart your Chromecast, Wi-Fi router, and smartphone. If that does nothing, check the network for possible issues, reinstall the Google Home app, or go for the factory reset on your Chromecast. You should be able to address the problem with one of these steps, although there are certain variables (e.g. router settings) that we can’t take into account.

1. Restart your Chromecast

You should restart your Chromecast before doing anything else. Unplug the Chromecast from the USB port and plug it back after 10 seconds. Wait for the system to boot and check if the device appears online in Google Home.

If your Chromecast is still offline and you get the Could not communicate with your Chromecast error in the Google Home app, move to the next step.

2. Check the network

The most probable reason for the issue at hand has to do something with the network connection. If your Chromecast won’t connect to a stable network or you can’t set it up through Google Home, make sure to try these steps in order to fix the problem:

• Restart your router, smartphone, and Chromecast.
• Ensure that both your Chromecast and smartphone with Google Home are on the same network. If you are using Google Home on your iPhone, disable the Private Wi-Fi Adress option for the network you are currently using in Settings > Wi-Fi > “i” next to your network > Private Wi-Fi Adress.
• Keep your Chromecast closer to the router. Ideally, you would place the device (your TV or monitor, obviously) close to the Wi-Fi router.
• Check router settings. Make sure to enable UPnP and, if possible, choose the Static IP for your Chromecast. Make sure that the firewall or something else isn’t blocking Chromecast from having permanent access to the Wi-Fi.
• Avoid the 5GHz Wi-Fi band and stick to 2.4GHz. You can use both simultaneously and still should work even if your phone is on a different band as long as SSID is named the same (e.g. smartphone on 5GHz, Chromecast on 2.4GHz).
• Consider upgrading your router in case you have a lot of devices in your household.

3. Use Device Utility for 1st-Gen Chromecast

If you are trying to set up the 1st-Gen Chromecast these days, Google Home on your phone might not be enough. What you need to get is an app called Device Utility. This app is made by Google and, based on reviews and ratings, it’s not exactly an exemplary case of Google-made software. It’s outdated and it seemingly fails its main purpose: to set up Google Home/Nest devices so you can use them with Google Home. Still, it might be the only way to set up Google Chromecast 1st-Gen.

You can download Device Utility on Play Store and try to set up Google Chromecast via the app. Have in mind that this app is useful only if you want to set up a Chromecast from scratch. If your Chromecast is already configured but won’t connect, try the next two steps.

4. Reinstall Google Home

At the moment we’re writing this article, Google is testing a new revamped Google Home app for Android and iOS. However, UI changes, although more than welcome, are not as important as the general functionality of any app. So, in this case (as in many others where Google Home/Nest devices couldn’t communicate), there’s a chance that the Google Home app is the problem. To eliminate that, you can reinstall the app and check for improvements.

Here’s how to reinstall Google Home on your Android:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for Google Home and expand the app from the results.
3. Tap Uninstall.
4. Restart your phone.
5. Open the Play Store again and install Google Home.
6. Open the app again, sign in with your account and choose your Home.
7. Tap Add+ and then New Device and try adding Chromecast again to your Home.

And this is how to reinstall Google Home on your iPhone:

1. Tap and hold on to the Google Home shortcut.
2. Select Remove App.
3. Tap Delete App.
4. Then navigate to App Store and install Google Home again.

Make sure that Bluetooth and Location Services are enabled before setting up a new Chromecast through Google Home. If you still get the Could not communicate with your Chromecast when trying to set up the device, try again after resetting your Chromecast to factory settings.

5. Factory reset the Chromecast

Finally, if none of the previous steps worked, we can only recommend resetting your Chromecast to factory settings and moving from there. Most users report this as the definitive solution for most Chromecast problems and it seems that they were able to set up the device through Google Home or Device Utility (Chromecast 1st-Gen) after the reset.

Since the procedure is different for various Chromecast iterations, you can find detailed instructions on Google’s support page. Once you reset the device, open Google Home and then tap Add+ and select Set up a device. Turn on Bluetooth and Location Services on your smartphone and select New Device. Follow further instructions to set up your Chromecast and check if the problem persists.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us. Has the Google Home ecosystem degraded over time instead of progressing? Tell us in the comments below.