Hi all. Just a heads up that, for some reason when I am casting to a tv (usually CA) other people seem to get a notification on their phones (usually when connected to wifi).
All you should need to to is swipe the notification to make it go away, as pressing the ‘x’ in the notification kills whatever I’m casting. As you can imagine this drives me, and whoevers is watching/listening with me absolutely bonkers.
Thanks!
Yes, that is a “feature” of the new version of the ChromeCast app. The goofballs at Google seem to think that ChromeCast will only be used in single family homes.
I’ve put in a bug report, and I encourage everyone to do so as well.
So just by virtue of the fact that I am connected to DMS Members with my android with chromecast installed, i get a notification with a control over CA television? That is nuts.
@StanSimmons can you post a link as to where exactly you put in your issue request? I would like to second, or third, or 123rd…
I complained and bug reported before Christmas… I’ll see if I can find the link. Google doesn’t seem to like making it easy to complain.
Well complaints get converted to work. And if those goofballs are anything like this goofball, I’d bet they don’t like either one…
If you manage to navigate through the sea of menus and links without getting lost in digital ocean, and come out of this thing with a link, I’m there for you. Von Boyage!
I was wondering about that… I was casting Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias the other day in CA when I was the only one in there. Later on, some folks came in and it got turned off twice. I just wrote it off as they didn’t want to listen to it and decided to be passive aggressive rather than just say something, LOL. Good to know!!
This has been quite an annoying ‘feature’ that was added; and, is not really self explanatory - at least until someone starts grumbling about someone else “stopped/paused it … AGAIN!” (which happened several times one night recently. Almost to the point that it could have been funny… Almost.)
Soooooo… That being said:
If you are at the 'Space (or anywhere else with Chromecast setup on the same network that your phone is connected to) and your phone suddenly pops up an alert that you are casting to a device. The ‘quick’ solution is to just swipe the alert to make it go away. Alternately, I have been turning off “wi-fi” on my phone while I’m at the 'Space if I do not plan on using it at the time.
NOTE: Doing this only prevents it from showing what’s currently being cast on a device within range. As soon as someone else starts a new cast, then you will get a new alert.
Seeing this thread reminded me to do a little research to see how to disable the ‘feature’… This is what I found:
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7206638
However, since I am not at the 'Space (or anywhere where someone else is trying to cast to a device on the same network), I will not be able to test it at the moment. I will definitely be testing it the next time that I am at the 'Space!
Here is an idea to limit the craziness:
Set up a special CA Chrome wifi hotspot with a discrete wifi router, or maybe there is a way to create a 2nd, or perhaps it would be a third hotspot on the present system. Make the password known only to a person wishing to cast. So this hotspot connection could be internet connected like the others so that casting a program is actually possible. This would be necessary because, in my quite limited understanding of casting, the video of interest streams from the net directly once the instigator (caster, whatever you call this trouble-maker who wants to watch a video) launches a video on Chromecast from their device.
At any rate, with the caster as the only one logged in to this special hotspot connection, others would not see the notification because they are not on the same hotspot.
Just an idea…
Oh, and it might be a good idea to do something to keep folks uninterested in this connection, such as kick all non-casting folks off the connection every half hour… this way you don’t wind up with a bunch of folks who were in CA casting a few days back and just never bothered to change their login once they left.
We have SEVERAL Chromecast devices at the 'Space. I don’t see Infrastructure setting up a separate wireless connection for each Chromecast.
A Chromecast can be configured to require a PIN to connect to it; however, once connected the first time for any give Chromecast, it will remain paired with it - so configuring them to require a PIN would not be very helpful either.
A note on the bulletin board(s) may help; but, only if people notice the note and read it.
The only similar method to your suggestion of a dedicated wireless network might be to put all of the Chromecast devices on a separate wireless network dedicated to all of the DMS Chromecast devices - that members would have to make a point to connect to. In that scenario, there could be a “mandatory training” to go over the fact that they while connected to the special “Chromecast network” that they have the power to accidentally or intentionally disrupt an ongoing cast; and, the Responsibility to Be Excellent and NOT disrupt any ongoing casts without the explicit approval from the person currently casting on the device. In that scenario, members would only have access to connect to the special network only after attending the required training. Do we REALLY want another required training?
Options are live with people constantly stopping streams unknowingly while waiting for Google to change the software or switch to an alternative device to chromecast
Or… OR… OR… We could continue attempts to politely let people know what the deal is to the best of our ability. I’m sure I am not the only one who has experienced this, and just wanted 1) to help people not get their casts shut off as much, and 2) help people not worry that they are just willy-nilly casting random things when the notification pops up.
Yuppers ~ that’s pretty much the main point of this thread… It’s a real PITA for the members trying to cast while others are unknowingly controlling the stream from their phones; and, it’s a real major annoyance for the members who have phones which are alerting them that they are casting something.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Google didn’t create an alert indicating devices are available to cast to (similar to how wi-fi will prompt to select a wireless network) if they felt it was important to send alerts… Personally, I plan on turning it off as per the article I linked the very next time I get an alert while at the 'Space. Of course, that only fixes the annoyance on my phone. It doesn’t help fix the issue for others.
Until something changes, we need to try to help educate members/visitors about the issue ~ which is why I shared the link. Just trying to help.
Any idea whether notifications will have to be done by each person or if it can just be turned off for all DMS chromecasts?
I haven’t followed your link yet, sorry.
Unfortunately, it’s per phone.
Drat. So much effort. We’ll make it work.
Here’s the important part from the article:
Temporarily dismiss notifications
To temporarily dismiss a Cast remote control notification from displaying during the current casting session, simply swipe it away.
Note: The notification will reappear if you start a new casting session from a different Chromecast-enabled app.
Turn off remote notifications
To permanently turn off Cast remote control notifications,
- On the notification, tap Settings.
- Next to the ‘Show remote control notifications’, slide the slider to the left.
After a little more poking around on the Internet, I have found a way to turn off the notifications without having to wait for the next alert to pop up on my phone.
Thanks to this article on Android Police: http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/11/03/google-play-services-v10-can-show-a-notification-with-player-controls-anytime-a-device-on-the-network-is-casting-apk-download/
Alternatively, you can open Settings on your phone, then go to Google –> Google Cast to reach the same screen.
Google Cast notifications are now turned “off” on my phone ~ w00t!
This may be the case. However, I have only had notification from CA chromecast show up on my device, and I am quite seldom in the CA room, almost never. So what is it that makes it such that only the CA chromecast is showing up on folks phones, and is the one, according to my understanding, that prompted this thread?
Is there a way we can leverage this? Or is it that we just noticed the problem with CA, but really it is global per each chromecast device?
Alternatively, you can open Settings on your phone, then go to Google –> Google Cast to reach the same screen.
Google Cast notifications are now turned “off” on my phone ~ w00t!
This works too! Thanks!
I had never noticed that ‘google’ button before in the settings. I presume this is a fairly new settings menu tree?
I like having controls for vendor specific functionality right there under the ‘accounts’ portion of the settings control maze. It makes sense for the controls to be in that location. I have eight accounts installed on my phone, but only one company provided options to control my account there, and that company was google. Someone should tell microsoft, samsung, facebook, snapchat, etc. about this spot… lol…
Having the DMS Chromecast devices on a different WiFi SSID won’t make any difference. The Chromecast has to be on the same subnet (in this case 192.168.200.0 - 192.168.207.255) as the controller (phone, pc, etc.) to start the broadcast, since everybody’s phone is on that subnet everyone with the app gets the notice.