Netflix has quietly changed how mobile devices interact with TVs, pulling the plug on casting from the Netflix mobile app to most TVs and streaming boxes. The company’s help pages now confirm that playback controls must be handled directly on the TV’s native Netflix app or remote, not from a phone.
Netflix casting: what’s different
The update means the mobile app can no longer initiate or control playback on most TVs and modern streaming devices. You can’t cast a show from the phone and then manage volume, playback, captions, or scrubbing from the device you’re holding while the content plays on the TV.
Previously, users across all plans could browse on their phone and cast to compatible devices. That option has been removed for the vast majority of devices that include a built-in remote or a native Netflix app.
In the updated Help page, Netflix states: “Netflix no longer supports casting shows from a mobile device to most TVs and TV-streaming devices. You’ll need to use the remote that came with your TV or TV-streaming device to navigate Netflix.”
In a briefing to Wired, a Netflix spokesperson noted that the casting feature had low adoption and was retired so resources could be redirected toward features with greater value for members.
Netflix casting: what remains
Casting isn’t gone entirely. It’s still supported on a limited list of older or specific devices. The updated Netflix Help page lists these as still eligible for casting:
- Chromecast (3rd generation or older) models that ship without a physical remote
- Google Nest Hub smart displays
- Select cast-enabled Vizio TVs
- Select cast-enabled Compal TVs
However, casting is not available on ad-supported plans, even on compatible devices, meaning only paying (non-ad) plan users can continue to cast where permitted.
Netflix has also clarified that streaming devices with their own remotes—such as Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer, and most Google TV-based smart TVs—will no longer appear as cast targets in the mobile app.
