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Google has officially unveiled its latest entertainment device, the Google TV Streamer.
This is a more premium device than we’ve seen before from the tech giant, trading in 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.
As such, Chromecast is no more. Google will sell off the remaining stock, so it will eventually be discontinued.
However, if you already have a Chromecast device, you might be wondering if it is still supported. We have everything you need to know.
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 contained the following quote:
The time has now come to evolve the smart TV streaming device category, ready for the new field of AI, entertainment and smart homes. This means there are no changes to our support policies for existing Chromecast devices, with ongoing software and security updates for the latest devices.
Simply put, if you have a Chromecast device (other than the one from 2013), you don’t have to worry about missing out on any software or security updates just yet.
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
When might support for my Chromecast end?
Google still supports every model it released except the first generation which ended support in 2023, a decade after it first hit shelves. According to The Verge, support ended quite quietly.
Here’s when all other Chromecast models were released:
- Chromecast 2nd generation – 2015
- Chromecast Ultra – 2016
- Chromecast 3rd generation – 2018
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2020
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2022
Google has not yet officially confirmed how long each device will be supported. However, if it uses the same ten-year cycle we saw with the first generation of Chromecasts, then support would end around the following years:
- Chromecast 2nd generation – 2025
- Chromecast Ultra – 2026
- Chromecast 3rd generation – 2028
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2030
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2032
We would like to reaffirm that these dates are estimates only. If we hear more from Google, we will update this article.
What happens if Google stops supporting my Chromecast?
On the official help pages for Chromecast updates, Google has the following message about its 1st generation model:
Support for Chromecast (1st generation) has ended. This means that these devices will no longer receive software or security updates and Google will not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance.
Therefore, it seems that while devices won’t stop working overnight, Google won’t continue to roll out improvements and bug fixes, which will make them slower and filled with more bugs over time. Additionally, users won’t get the latest additions to the Google ecosystem, such as new library interfaces or app updates.
For now, the only users who need to worry about this are those with a 2013 Chromecast.
If that’s you, or you’re considering purchasing a new device, check out our roundup of the best streaming sticks. You can also find out what’s the most important thing that Google TV Streamer is missing.