[CONFIRMED BUG] WiiM Devices Broadcasting Google Cast Despite Setting Being Disabled

[Jeff_M_PA]

Hi everyone,

I want to share a confirmed firmware bug that I've spent considerable time diagnosing, in hopes that others experiencing similar issues can benefit, and to get visibility from WiiM's engineering team. Ticket numbers 562167 & 562215.

The Problem:
On my Samsung Galaxy S25, Spotify shows all my WiiM devices as "Google Cast" instead of "Spotify Connect" and fails to connect to them. Spotify on Windows works perfectly, confirming the network is clean and the devices are functioning correctly via Spotify Connect.

My Setup:
- Mix of WiiM Pro and WiiM Pro Plus (3 units, firmware 4.8.805453)
- Samsung Galaxy S25 (latest Spotify)
- ASUS XT9 AiMesh network
- Google Cast disabled in WiiM Home app on all devices

The Root Cause:
After extensive troubleshooting — eliminating the router, other devices, Android settings, Spotify cache, and everything else — I used the dns-sd tool on Windows to check what was actually broadcasting Google Cast on my network:

dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local

The output was:

WiiM-Pro-Receiver-12eb52be39f45e23459749b49b397ebb
WiiM-Pro-Receiver-4d0a793973ddd42b8f02ec871beac71d
WiiM-Pro-Receiver-3bb1b3ae04dc67d3b7051ac8bfaf46c5

All three WiiM devices are actively broadcasting _googlecast._tcp despite Google Cast being disabled in the app. No other devices on my network are broadcasting Cast.

This triggers Spotify's known "dynamic grouping" behavior on Android, where multiple Cast devices cause Spotify to lock all devices into Cast mode instead of Spotify Connect.

The Fix Needed:
WiiM's firmware needs to honor the Google Cast disable setting and actually stop broadcasting _googlecast._tcp when disabled. This is not a Spotify bug — if the setting worked correctly, Spotify would see no Cast devices and would use Spotify Connect as intended.

I have reported this to WiiM support with the technical evidence. They have so far pointed to Spotify's community threads about dynamic grouping, but that does not address why their disable toggle doesn't work.

If you are experiencing the same issue, please reply and add your voice. The more users who confirm this, the more pressure on WiiM to prioritize a firmware fix.

To test if your devices have the same bug, run this command on a Windows PC while your WiiMs are on:
dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local

If your WiiM devices appear in the output despite Cast being disabled, you have the same bug.

Hopes this helps others and gets WiiM engineering's attention!

 

[slartibartfast]

Hi everyone,

I want to share a confirmed firmware bug that I've spent considerable time diagnosing, in hopes that others experiencing similar issues can benefit, and to get visibility from WiiM's engineering team. Ticket numbers 562167 & 562215.

The Problem:
On my Samsung Galaxy S25, Spotify shows all my WiiM devices as "Google Cast" instead of "Spotify Connect" and fails to connect to them. Spotify on Windows works perfectly, confirming the network is clean and the devices are functioning correctly via Spotify Connect.

My Setup:
- Mix of WiiM Pro and WiiM Pro Plus (3 units, firmware 4.8.805453)
- Samsung Galaxy S25 (latest Spotify)
- ASUS XT9 AiMesh network
- Google Cast disabled in WiiM Home app on all devices

The Root Cause:
After extensive troubleshooting — eliminating the router, other devices, Android settings, Spotify cache, and everything else — I used the dns-sd tool on Windows to check what was actually broadcasting Google Cast on my network:

dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local

The output was:

WiiM-Pro-Receiver-12eb52be39f45e23459749b49b397ebb
WiiM-Pro-Receiver-4d0a793973ddd42b8f02ec871beac71d
WiiM-Pro-Receiver-3bb1b3ae04dc67d3b7051ac8bfaf46c5

All three WiiM devices are actively broadcasting _googlecast._tcp despite Google Cast being disabled in the app. No other devices on my network are broadcasting Cast.

This triggers Spotify's known "dynamic grouping" behavior on Android, where multiple Cast devices cause Spotify to lock all devices into Cast mode instead of Spotify Connect.

The Fix Needed:
WiiM's firmware needs to honor the Google Cast disable setting and actually stop broadcasting _googlecast._tcp when disabled. This is not a Spotify bug — if the setting worked correctly, Spotify would see no Cast devices and would use Spotify Connect as intended.

I have reported this to WiiM support with the technical evidence. They have so far pointed to Spotify's community threads about dynamic grouping, but that does not address why their disable toggle doesn't work.

If you are experiencing the same issue, please reply and add your voice. The more users who confirm this, the more pressure on WiiM to prioritize a firmware fix.

To test if your devices have the same bug, run this command on a Windows PC while your WiiMs are on:
dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local

If your WiiM devices appear in the output despite Cast being disabled, you have the same bug.

Hopes this helps others and gets WiiM engineering's attention!

Counter intuitively you need to enable Chromecast on the WiiM device then disable casting in settings.

 

[hipoagumol]

I had it enabled and then disabled and then i added it again... the dns command you send reflected it properly in the Add/Remove column

C:\Windows\System32>dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local
Browsing for _googlecast._tcp.local
Timestamp A/R Flags if Domain Service Type Instance Name
16:02:19.770 Add 2 25 local. _googlecast._tcp. WiiM-Ultra-41cd67d77e814f2cdc8a73de9ec1147e
16:03:31.193 Rmv 0 25 local. _googlecast._tcp. WiiM-Ultra-41cd67d77e814f2cdc8a73de9ec1147e
^C
C:\Windows\System32>
C:\Windows\System32>dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp local
Browsing for _googlecast._tcp.local
Timestamp A/R Flags if Domain Service Type Instance Name
16:05:47.024 Add 2 25 local. _googlecast._tcp. WiiM-Ultra-41cd67d77e814f2cdc8a73de9ec1147e

In Spotify I was able to see Wiim ultra always regardless of Google Cast status on Wiim App, only one instance.
From Amazon Music, I was able to see the Wiim Ultra with the Google Cast icon and the Alexa cast one only when Google Cast enabled in Wiim Home App, but when disabled it only appeared as Alexa enabled device...so i think it works as expected, right?

Edit: Same from YouTube Music. Only see the Wiim ultra con Google Cast enabled in Wiim Home App, if disabled i can't see it.

 

[Burnside]

From Amazon Music, I was able to see the Wiim Ultra with the Google Cast icon and the Alexa cast one only when Google Cast enabled in Wiim Home App, but when disabled it only appeared as Alexa enabled device...so i think it works as expected, right?

The round Alexacast icon only appears if you have linked your Alexa account in the settings for your WiiM device, and is totally independent of GoogleCast.

 

[Burnside]

Hi everyone,

I want to share a confirmed firmware bug that I've spent considerable time diagnosing, in hopes that others experiencing similar issues can benefit, and to get visibility from WiiM's engineering team. Ticket numbers 562167 & 562215.

Have you tried the workaround in comment #2?

 

[ecanadas]

I have a WiiM Ultra, and indeed, when using the Spotify app on an Android 16 phone, it recognizes the WiiM as a Cast device.
If you disable Google Cast on the WiiM, Spotify recognizes the Ultra as a Connect device.

However, if I use an older phone running Android 13 or a tablet running Android 14, they always recognize the Ultra as a Connect device, regardless of the Google Cast settings.

 

[hipoagumol]

The round Alexacast icon only appears if you have linked your Alexa account in the settings for your WiiM device, and is totally independent of GoogleCast.

I know.i was just explaining that unlike the initial post, i see it working as expected and when google cast disabled i no longer see ultra as google cast device, i also tried in youtube music same result.

 

[musicnbeer]

I had the same problem last week. The workaround in post #2 here fixed it. I had to do the workaround for both Wiim devices I have for either one to work.

 

[policeman51]

I've experienced the same issue with Wiim Ultra and Wiim Pro Plus.
The workaround of enabling and disabling Chromecast works on the Ultra but not on the Pro Plus as there is no disable Chromecast option.

Remember when things just worked and if it didn't it was because you did not configure it correctly.

 

[Burnside]

The workaround of enabling and disabling Chromecast works on the Ultra but not on the Pro Plus as there is no disable Chromecast option.

For the pro plus, go into its settings, then choose Google cast, then on the next page, choose your pro plus. On the next page there's an "allow Google cast service" toggle. Does toggling that off not work?

 

[JasonWithWiiM]

Thank you for the detailed write-up and for taking the time to methodically investigate this behavior. The additional technical information you provided, especially the _googlecast._tcp discovery results, is extremely helpful.

We have shared this internally with the engineering team and this is now on our radar for deeper investigation. We want to better understand the interaction between the Google Cast disable setting, device advertisement behavior, and how Spotify on Android is interpreting available playback targets in environments with multiple WiiM devices present.

We also appreciate the clear reproduction details and testing methodology you included. That kind of information makes it much easier for engineering to isolate and validate potential firmware-side behavior.

For anyone else experiencing something similar, additional reports including device models, firmware versions, network topology, and reproduction steps are helpful and can assist with investigation.

Thank you again for the thorough report and constructive troubleshooting.

 

[huw]

If your WiiM devices appear in the output despite Cast being disabled, you have the same bug.

Could you be a bit more clear here? Specifically do you mean a WiiM device on which Google Cast was never enabled advertising _googlecast._tcp. via mDNS/DNS-SD as I described here:

H

Post in thread 'How to disable Chromecast'

Sep 4, 2025

Which leaves me wondering: is it even possible to truly disable Chromecast? What does that toggle actually do?

I see the same thing. I never enabled Google Cast:



But my WiiM Pro advertises _googlecast._tcp. via mDNS/DNS-SD.

I just tried enabling Google Cast, then turning off 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app and then as @Wiimer says the WiiM Pro stops the Google Cast service.

• huw

• 

or a WiiM device on which the toggle for 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app that appears once Google Cast has been enabled is switched off continuing to advertise _googlecast._tcp. ?

The latter would be a new bug. The former has been reported several times here.

 

[hipoagumol]

Could you be a bit more clear here? Specifically do you mean a WiiM device on which Google Cast was never enabled advertising _googlecast._tcp. via mDNS/DNS-SD as I described here:

H

Post in thread 'How to disable Chromecast'

Sep 4, 2025

Which leaves me wondering: is it even possible to truly disable Chromecast? What does that toggle actually do?

I see the same thing. I never enabled Google Cast:



But my WiiM Pro advertises _googlecast._tcp. via mDNS/DNS-SD.

I just tried enabling Google Cast, then turning off 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app and then as @Wiimer says the WiiM Pro stops the Google Cast service.

• huw

• 

or a WiiM device on which the toggle for 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app that appears once Google Cast has been enabled is switched off continuing to advertise _googlecast._tcp. ?

The latter would be a new bug. The former has been reported several times here.

The latter i have tested in my Ultra and works as it should.

 

[huw]

The latter i have tested in my Ultra and works as it should.

Yes I just tried with my WiiM Pro and toggling the "Allow Google Cast Service" switch on and off whilst watching what is advertised via DNS-SD using the Discovery App on my Mac showed the expected behaviour (i.e. toggling to 'Disabled' turns the service off).

 

[DazST]

Counter intuitively you need to enable Chromecast on the WiiM device then disable casting in settings.
View attachment 37123

I had this same problem a couple of weeks ago and can confirm that this method worked and I've not encountered any further problem with spotify/googlecast