OWNERS of a popular Google TV gadget are not impressed over a mysterious bug that’s appeared on their screens.
The issue seems to be impacting a growing number of Chromecast with Google TV devices, as well as Walmart’s Onn boxes and TV sets with Google TV or Android TV built-in.
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It results in an annoying “loading error” message to appear on screen.
Users can continue to access their favourite streaming apps as normal but the main recommendations section now shows nothing but the strange message.
A number of complaints about the problem have popped up on Reddit and Google’s own forum.
“This is happening for me too and it’s driving me insane,” one user wrote on Reddit.
“I’ve cleared caches, read all sorts of online fixes, and the problem persists.”
Another commented: “Driving me mad.”
A third added: “It’s a mess for everyone.”
Factory resetting doesn’t appear to resolve the problem.
But some have suggested that simply signing out of their account and back in again works for them.
Google has started rolling out a fix but a rep admitted that it “might take some time before it reaches everyone”.
FAREWELL CHROMECAST
All this comes days after the tech giant announced that it is discontinuing its long-running Chromecast gadget.
The device has been around for more than ten years, bursting onto the scene back in 2013.
More than 100million Chromecast devices have been sold.
The firm will instead sell a new Google TV Streamer it’s described as “a more premium device built for the new era of entertainment and smart home needs”.
But Chromecast dongles will continue to work and receive software updates as normal.
Inside the infamous ‘Google Graveyard’
Google has earned a reputation for killing features and projects, sometimes before their official release
According to the Killed by Google website, the company has pulled the plug on 295 devices at the time of writing.
Here are some well-known services and devices that have disappeared:
VPN by Google One – the virtual private network service encrypted users’ data and network activity and allowed them to mask their IP address. (2020-2024)
Google Podcasts – the podcast hosting platform doubled as an Android podcast listening app. (2018-2024)
Google Stadia – the cloud gaming service allowed users to stream gameplay through web browsers, TV, mobile apps, and Chromecast. (2019-2023)
YouTube Originals – the Google-owned company shuttered the program, which produced original content including scripted series, educational videos, and more. (2016-2022)
Google Hangouts – the cross-platform instant messaging service posed as a challenger to Microsoft’s Skype. (2013-2022)
YouTube Go – the app was aimed at making YouTube more accessible on mobile devices in emerging markets, with features like downloading video on Wi-Fi to view later. (2017-2022)
Google Duo – the video calling app allowed users to call anyone from their contact list. (2016-2022)
Cameos on Google – the tool allowed public figures to record video responses to the most common questions asked about them, which would display in Google Search results. (2018-2022)
Backup and Sync – the desktop software tool for Windows and macOS enabled users to sync files from Google Drive to their local machine. (2017-2021)
Google My Maps – the Android application allowed users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing on their mobile device. (2014-2021)