Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#21

Post by ryandrake » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:12 PM UTC

inanutshellus wrote: post #13

jaffa2 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All this app stuff is so annoying. I reverted back a while ago. Now when i want the radio on i just switch it on. With an actual switch. Same with my lights— an actual real switch! Theres no benefit to chaining all your behind someapp the needs updated installed, logged in passwords, managed, ooo you haven’t logged in for 90 days lets send you an email to update your password- bro i just want to increase my heating.…

TODAY I got an email saying my $600 robot vacuum cleaner -- which only works via an app -- would no longer work with said app. It has no physical buttons to manage schedules, just a "spot clean now" button. I hand-wrung when I bought it -- knowing it was a risk requiring I trust them -- aand I was bitten. Awesome. Welcome to the future.

Nobody on HN wants to hear this, but REG-U-LA-TION. The glorious free market is consistently failing to solve the growing problem of cloud-tethered and app-tethered products being nerfed by their manufacturers after the point of sale.

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#22

Post by lunias » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:12 PM UTC

I don't understand Netflix's decision, but I'm long past caring about things like this. I've had PCs hooked up to all of my televisions for the past 15+ years because of how limiting and frustrating using any other device to play media from can be.

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#23

Post by littlecranky67 » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:13 PM UTC

mikeyouse wrote: post #9

koinedad wrote: post #3

Not sure the full motivation behind this but this is very annoying for a parent with kids. Especially if you've lost your remote, or want to quickly find something and cast it to your Chromecast/Apple TV. I'd prefer video streaming apps be required to support Casting/AirPlay.

I’ve helped several elderly neighbors get setup with casting to their TVs as well. Just a debacle that’s going to frustrate a bunch of people for no good reason. Really wish the teams that implement ‘features’ like this were forced to deal with the consequences. At least in the olden days, they’d get feedback in the form of calls and complaints to their help line but now it’s just “Too bad, app changed, deal with it.…

Well, the consequence would be to cancel the subscription now?

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#24

Post by thot_experiment » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:15 PM UTC

shit like this is why I've recently totally given up on everything except Bandcamp and torrents, I really wish I could just pay for the 50gb mkvs with the 10bit color, atmos and film grain like I can for flacs

but good damn is life nice when you just have files, a network and zero drm and limitations

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#25

Post by mingus88 » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:15 PM UTC

troupo wrote: post #10

I've worked in streaming. If you see a feature pulled, or announced and delayed, or announced and never shipped, 99.99999% of the time it's due to licensing. Every single permutation of any action that a user may find beneficial is covered by a different license with a different cost. Oh. And ads. There's another can of worms if you need to serve ads. In this case it could be that Netflix is an asshole. Or could be t…

I’m really leaning towards them being an asshole in this specific case.

Chromecast works in my EV for every other streaming app, so the licensing seems to be a solved problem for them. Netflix, however, never worked and my EV manufacturer had to release a support page specifically for Netflix not working.

I suspect this is just more account security. I remember paying $20/mo for a premium plan with a set number of screens on the contract…but one day their side changed and those screens had to be on my WiFi. I was no longer paying per screen. I was now paying per-household, but I never agreed to that change.

I cancelled Netflix after 15 years (DVD era) and have never looked back. Just hostile decision after hostile decision.

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#26

Post by turnsout » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:16 PM UTC

This only strengthens my decision to invest in 4K Blu-ray. We're fully in the enshittification stage of streaming TV.

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#27

Post by tsunamifury » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:16 PM UTC

Netflix’s seemingly baffling decisions all make sense when you realize one thing:

Netflix sees no more technological future or market opportunity for themselves that will increase profits, so reduction of features and up charging are the only strategies.

It’s a testiment to the blindness and stupidity of their workers and leadership that in the era of the most cutting edge breakthroughs in video, Netflix believes the future is in removing functionality.

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#28

Post by jjbinx007 » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:16 PM UTC

"One Reddit user said customer service explained that devices with remotes can no longer cast, claiming the decision was made to improve the customer experience."

How can this improve the customer experience?

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#29

Post by xnx » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:17 PM UTC

Is this, in part, an anti-copying measure?

Re: Netflix kills casting from its mobile app to most modern TVs

#30

Post by whatsupdog » Mon, Dec 01, 2025, 4:18 PM UTC

koinedad wrote: post #3

Not sure the full motivation behind this but this is very annoying for a parent with kids. Especially if you've lost your remote, or want to quickly find something and cast it to your Chromecast/Apple TV. I'd prefer video streaming apps be required to support Casting/AirPlay.

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