How to disable Chromecast

[whereyoubeen]

I've been using the WiiM Amp for over a year now, but there's one issue that's been bothering me from the start. The app and initial setup of the device includes an option to enable or disable Chromecast, but disabling it doesn't seem to have any effect - the device still appears as an available casting target in apps.

This often leads to it being selected accidentally, especially by guests using Spotify, since it's named exactly the same as the regular Spotify Connect player. I've tried resetting the device, but that didn’t help.

Does anyone know if there's a way to completely disable Chromecast on the WiiM Amp so that it doesn't show up as a selectable device at all on my phone?

 

[Mr Ee]

I believe you need to do a reset, hold down the play button for 10 seconds.
I see you tried a reset, but I'm sure it used to work with the other wiims I did this with.
i.e. not a restore factory settings from the Device Info app menu option.

 

[Machiavelli]

While ago the only way I have managed this was resetting the device and deleting the WiiM app. Starting from scratch.

 

[whereyoubeen]

I’m pretty sure I’ve factory reset the device at least 20 times by now, but I never thought to also delete the app. I also just realized thanks to another user that Google Home might actually be the culprit and going to check this now. Really appreciate the quick help, everyone!

 

[whereyoubeen]

So, it turns out Google Home wasn’t the issue, and I was never actually able to solve the problem. I recently upgraded to the WiiM Amp Ultra and was extra careful not to enable Chromecast during setup… but it still shows up in every app that supports Chromecast.

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

 

[Wiimer]

So, it turns out Google Home wasn’t the issue, and I was never actually able to solve the problem. I recently upgraded to the WiiM Amp Ultra and was extra careful not to enable Chromecast during setup… but it still shows up in every app that supports Chromecast.

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

In my case, if I turn off 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app, it will no longer appear in the Chromecast device list.



Does your Amp Ultra still appear in the Google Home app?

If so, try going to 'Security and Login' in your Google account and remove the WiiM Amp Ultra adapter in the 'Connect to third-party apps and services' section.

 

[adias]

So, it turns out Google Home wasn’t the issue, and I was never actually able to solve the problem. I recently upgraded to the WiiM Amp Ultra and was extra careful not to enable Chromecast during setup… but it still shows up in every app that supports Chromecast.

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

As @Wiimer says there’s something odd in your systems. You ought to send feedback to WiiM Support.

 

[huw]

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.

 

[whereyoubeen]

In my case, if I turn off 'Allow Google Cast Service' in the Google Cast section of the WiiM app, it will no longer appear in the Chromecast device list.
View attachment 26367


Does your Amp Ultra still appear in the Google Home app?

If so, try going to 'Security and Login' in your Google account and remove the WiiM Amp Ultra adapter in the 'Connect to third-party apps and services' section.

View attachment 26368

Oh wow, I’ve actually never seen that "Allow Google Cast Service" toggle before. So Chromecast has to be activated first in order to be deactivated? That feels a bit counterintuitive... I’ll give it a try this evening.

Thanks so much for your reply, it was really helpful!

 

[whereyoubeen]

I followed the suggested steps, turning off “Allow Google Cast Service” in the Google Cast section and resetting both the amp and the app several times. It took quite a bit of time, but the problem is still there: the amp keeps showing up as a Google Cast device on every device. It’s especially frustrating in Spotify, where it appears at the top of the Connect list with the same name as the Spotify-Connect device, so guests keep connecting to it by mistake.

Eventually I opened a support ticket, something I’d avoided for over a year because I worried it would be a waste of time. After 10 days of back and forth, the final reply simply told me to repeat the exact steps I’d already said didn’t work in my first message (based on a forum post that I even mentioned I originally created). It really felt like none of my responses were actually read.

Between this and the recent unexpected disabling of Audio Pro devices in the app, I’m honestly disappointed and starting to regret choosing WiiM.

 

[Burnside]

Genuinely, what's the issue with guests choosing Chromecast rather than Spotify Connect? I'm at a loss why it's a big issue for you.

And re Audio Pro, I understand today's app update may resolve it.

 

[whereyoubeen]

Genuinely, what's the issue with guests choosing Chromecast rather than Spotify Connect? I'm at a loss why it's a big issue for you.

And re Audio Pro, I understand today's app update may resolve it.

Hey, I moved to WiiM to get away from the Chromecast problems I’d dealt with for years, but whenever someone connects with Chromecast the same issues return: delays, multi-room sync lags, odd glitches with skip or pause, stuttering, the amp sometimes locking up and needing a restart, and my Home Assistant automations failing. It might sound like a Wi-Fi issue, but every other streaming protocol works perfectly here except Chromecast, so if someone connects by accident it always takes a while to sort out. I think anyone would find that frustrating if it happened regularly.

I know my setup is a bit unusual and most people probably never notice these issues, but for me it’s really frustrating. The disable-Chromecast option seems like it should prevent this, yet it doesn’t, which is why I started this thread to look for a real fix.

 

[Burnside]

Thanks for taking the time to explain that - I better understand your frustration now. Hope you manage to get to the bottom of it…

 

[Wiimer]

I followed the suggested steps, turning off “Allow Google Cast Service” in the Google Cast section and resetting both the amp and the app several times. It took quite a bit of time, but the problem is still there: the amp keeps showing up as a Google Cast device on every device. It’s especially frustrating in Spotify, where it appears at the top of the Connect list with the same name as the Spotify-Connect device, so guests keep connecting to it by mistake.

Eventually I opened a support ticket, something I’d avoided for over a year because I worried it would be a waste of time. After 10 days of back and forth, the final reply simply told me to repeat the exact steps I’d already said didn’t work in my first message (based on a forum post that I even mentioned I originally created). It really felt like none of my responses were actually read.

Between this and the recent unexpected disabling of Audio Pro devices in the app, I’m honestly disappointed and starting to regret choosing WiiM.

Very strange..
If turn off Google cast in the WiiM app, will not normally see Google Cast in the Spotify app. (I have checked this many times.)

If you have more than one WiiM, you can try persistent group. As far as I know, it's not possible to connect to a persistent group with Google Cast.

As a side note, Spotify recognises persistent group as a single device, so you need to switch to lossless sound quality after connecting to a group. (If lossless playback is already available in your country.)

Good luck.

 

[Burnside]

Very strange..
If turn off Google cast in the WiiM app, will not normally see Google Cast in the Spotify app. (I have checked this many times.)

If you have more than one WiiM, you can try persistent group. As far as I know, it's not possible to connect to a persistent group with Google Cast.

As a side note, Spotify recognises persistent group as a single device, so you need to switch to lossless sound quality after connecting to a group. (If lossless playback is already available in your country.)

Good luck.

Yeah, it is a strange one. When you turned it off in the WiiM app, did you need to do anything in the Google home app, and did you get Spotify to log out of that device? I’m wondering if the Spotify remembers the connection even after you turn Chromecast off, like it retains a Connect session even if you’re no longer in the local network but elsewhere on the ‘net? Maybe “logging out everywhere” in the Spotify app could flush out such “sticky” connections. Maybe there are other entities on the local network that cache/remember such connections that similarly might need flushed.

 

[Wiimer]

Yeah, it is a strange one.

Are these countless questions addressed to me?

When you turned it off in the WiiM app, did you need to do anything in the Google home app, and did you get Spotify to log out of that device?

No.

I’m wondering if the Spotify remembers the connection even after you turn Chromecast off,

I don't think so. (Although it may have been the case previously.)

Turning off Google Cast in WHA also instantly hides it in the Spotify app.

like it retains a Connect session even if you’re no longer in the local network but elsewhere on the ‘net?

I think so, but I'm not sure..

Maybe “logging out everywhere” in the Spotify app could flush out such “sticky” connections. Maybe there are other entities on the local network that cache/remember such connections that similarly might need flushed.

It may be..

Off topic,
I still have groups in my Spotify that I created during the beta test of persistent groups. These are ghost groups that no longer exist, but I can't figure out how to erase them.

 

[Burnside]

Off topic,
I still have groups in my Spotify that I created during the beta test of persistent groups. These are ghost groups that no longer exist, but I can't figure out how to erase them.

Have you tried “log out everywhere” in Spotify?

 

[Wiimer]

Have you tried “log out everywhere” in Spotify?

I don't know where the 'everywhere' is
Master, Can you tell me where?

 

[Machiavelli]

you have to go the website. the app does not do this job. then you have to go to what in german is 'datenschutz und sicherheit'. iirc there is the feature.

 

[Wiimer]

Found

I've tried, but there are still some ghost groups left. But this is off-topic, so I'll end this now. (I'll send a ticket when I feel like it).