Netflix just made a change without telling anyone. You can’t cast shows from your phone to your TV anymore unless you’re on certain plans. If you’re on the ad-supported tier, the feature is completely gone, and a lot of other users are suddenly back to using their TV remotes.
Netflix slipped in a small Help Center update saying the Cast button is basically gone for most TVs when using the mobile app. Instead, the company now tells people to just open Netflix on their TV and use the remote it came with.
Netflix now limits casting to subscribers on its higher-tier, ad-free plans, which begin at $17.99 per month. The feature continues to work only with older Chromecast devices or with TVs that have built-in Google Cast support. For users outside those categories, the Cast option no longer appears.
Subscribers on the $7.99 ad-supported plan are affected the most, as casting has been removed entirely. While limited casting was previously supported on newer Chromecast models, that compatibility is no longer available.
Netflix has yet to offer a clear public explanation for the change. The updated Help Center entry provides no rationale, only the revised policy. When questioned by Android Authority, which originally reported the shift, a customer support representative offered a vague response, saying the move was intended “to improve the customer experience.”
The statement has caused confusion among users who feel casting from a phone is simpler than using a TV remote. Android Authority summed up the feedback by noting, “It’s not immediately clear how this improves things; plenty of people say it’s made the experience worse.”
Netflix has done something like this before. In 2019, it suddenly dropped AirPlay from the iOS app, saying it was because of a “technical limitation.” The explanation at the time was that so many different TV brands were adding AirPlay support that Netflix couldn’t tell which devices were Apple’s and which were third-party, making it harder to guarantee quality or protect content.
Even though this update is about Google Cast, the idea feels the same. Netflix is tightening control over how people watch, especially if they’re on cheaper plans. It also looks like part of a bigger push to separate the different subscriptions and nudge users toward using the app built into their TV, where Netflix has more control and better tracking.
At this point, users who normally cast Netflix from their phones may need to confirm their subscription tier and switch to using their TV remote. It’s a minor adjustment, but one that changes the viewing routine.
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