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Android phone "disconnects" from Chromecast


john1420

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john1420

Hi all. I am a new user of Emby having been a long term user of Plex. I suddenly started getting an error with Plex that a lot of people were getting but no fixes were available so I have tried Emby. It's really easy to use and the whole family likes it but we have one very annoying issue.

 

Using the android app, I select a file to view and cast to my Chromecast. The cast icon turns blue to indicate connection. The file plays without an issue. However, within about ten minutes the cast icon has returned to white. The file continues to play but I can't pause, stop, etc.

 

This happens every time, not just intermittent. My kids also have the app on their phones and it happens to them too.

 

Can anybody help?

 

 

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Nutellaeis

I am no developer but to me this does sound like a connection issue, not an emby problem. Can you not simply reconnect to the current stream by tapping the cast icon again? 

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Hi, welcome. Yea that's what it sounds like to me too. It's definitely not normal.

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john1420

Thanks, yeah it just seems strange that it happens every single time and on different phones

 

Very annoying

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  • 2 weeks later...
Disturbd1

This happens to me, too. Every time I cast from either my phone or my tablet. If I touch the cast button and choose my Chromecast again, it'll usually reconnect. Every once in a while the connection just breaks, but playback still continues, and the only way to regain remote control again is to reconnect, then tell it to disconnect and close Emby on the Chromecast.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Skn2000

Happens to me too. If I switch to another app it disconnects remote/conn with Chromecast within appx 20 seconds. Two different phones.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am also getting this issue... happens with a number of different smart phones in my house. However, other apps like YouTube don't have this disconnect issue, and my router is near new so shouldn't be a wifi disconnection issue.

Also, sometimes when I reconnect I don't get the play/pause menu at the bottom of the emby screen. My work around is to tap on the top left icon, select remote and press the volumn up button. That gets me the play/pause options again. Very weird.

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  • 3 weeks later...
NeauxGeaux

This is happening for me as well and has been going on for quite some time.

It starts to work again when I open the Emby app back up and reconnect to Chromecast. This issue is not just isolated to 1 device in my house.

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  • 1 month later...

I am having the same issue using my android phone at home. Also, my friends are having this same problem with other android devices. So it seemsto me that it is not releated to some specific hardware or setup, but rather a problem with the Emby Android app itself! I have also noticed that transcoding files are left behind on the server, maybe due to a Chomecast session not being terminated correctly ?

 

Apart from this I think Emby is awesome :)

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gstuartj

I have this disconnection issue and it's frustrating, but I see the same thing with the Netflix app, and there are complaints on the Chromecast subreddit all the time about it happening with other apps, too. I always assumed it was a problem with Android's power-saving.

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Yea I mean I'm sorry that many people think it's an Emby problem but we are following google cast guidelines almost exactly here.

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  • 1 month later...

Ok, It's happening quite randomly and not only the Emby app is affected, so I guess it's the Chromecast itself and/or possibly the Router/Wifi-connection .... :unsure:  Guess we have to live with it ...

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  • 1 month later...

In case anyone is googling for a solution to this, I think I've found an answer.

Over the last year or so I've been suffering from my phone regularly becoming disconnected from my Chromecast. This has happened with two different Chromecasts (a 1 and a 2), with two different Android phones from different brands, and with two different routers from different brands.

I've got good Wi-Fi strength where my Chromecast is located (other devices have shown a solid 8Mbps in the same spot) and an even stronger signal where my phone lives. But still the disconnects continued.

I tried every possible router tweak suggested in this thread and countless others on the web. On my phone I've checked countless Android settings, reinstalled various apps and cleared caches for them all. Yet still problems...
 

So, the answer? Give up on Chromecast. Seriously. It clearly has a fundamental flaw that affects some owners for some unknown reason, but which can't be fixed by the end user. If it could, someone would have posted a cure online somewhere by now. It's just not worth the frustration and the wasted hours trying to resolve a "bad" Chromecast situation.

So get your Chromecast on eBay, get some of your money back, and spend an extra $20 or so to buy something that actually works. I opted for a Roku Streaming Stick, and not only does it work perfectly, all of the time, it actually gives a better user experience than a fully functioning Chromecast, whether using the accompanying remote control or the Roku app on my phone. Win-win.
 

I'd urge you to do the same. You won't regret it.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 weeks later...

The latest updates have made a HUGE difference. Connection is really solid and is working well, I can pause it properly on my lock screen now which had been a major pain. Good stuff, keep up the quality updates!! :-D

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  • 2 weeks later...
mooninite

I'm using 3.3.1.0 on a Linux server. The update seems to have made Chromecast functionality worse.

 

Before 3.3.0.0:

Emby disconnects if the phone screen turns off -- as this turns the wi-fi driver into low-power mode. I would plug my phone in and have the "developer-mode" setting to keep the screen lighted when charging. This would keep the Wi-fi connection stable, active and Emby would stay "connected". This would work across multiple plays of videos. Everything worked nicely.

 

After:

Emby has a hard time initially connecting to the Chromecast. Sometimes the first connect will not work and it requires disconnecting and connecting a second time. Emby will "disconnect" randomly. Sometimes after stopping a video Emby will be "disconnected" but the Chromecast will still show the Emby screen. Disconnecting and re-connecting fixes it.

 

Note: Other applications do not need the wi-fi connection to be active to stay connected to the Chromecast. I feel that other apps have "reconnect" logic that prevent the disconnected state that Emby sees.

Edited by mooninite
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shez71

+1 mooninight. I'm new to Emby but noticed that Chromecast is a bit flaky. While watching something, Emby stops playing but displays the Emby screen.

 

Could the flashing Emby app be related? I noticed that sometimes, while playing a Chromecast movie, that the Android Emby app causes the screen on my phone to display, then go dark, then display. This is at the lock screen. It's like it flashes the lock screen. I have to let the phone sleep or press power button to sleep the phone.

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