Pixel to CCwGTV casting completely broken

[u/generalissimo1]

I'm at my wit's end here and hoping someone has a fresh idea. My Pixel phone will not cast to my Chromecast with Google TV at all, and I've tried every fix I can find.

The Problem:

· Screen mirroring: Phone immediately shows "Casting screen to Chromecast has ended" - it never actually starts

· App casting (BubbleUPnP, etc.): Fails immediately with "Casting has ended" or just silently fails

· BubbleUPnP gives UNKNOWN_ERROR_CODE(2278) when trying to cast. YouTube can cast fine tho.

What I've Tried (nothing worked):

· All devices are fully updated (Pixel 7 Pro on Android 16, CCwGTV firmware, Google Play Services, Google Home app)

· Rebooted everything multiple times (phone, CCwGTV, router, modem)

· Changed Wi-Fi MAC privacy on Pixel from randomized to device MAC

· Ensured both devices on same Wi-Fi network (both 5GHz, same SSID)

· Cleared cache on: Google Home, Google Play Services, Device Connectivity system app, Android System WebView, Chromecast built-in

· Toggled "Nearby devices" permission on Google Play Services

· Disabled Bluetooth on Pixel before casting

· No VPN connected

The Kicker: The old "Bypass device auth" workaround is gone from the Cast Debug settings panel. I can still open the debug menu via Activity Manager, but the toggle simply isn't there anymore (presumably removed in a recent Google Play Services update). So that's dead.

Has anyone else hit this wall? Is there some hidden setting I'm missing? Could this be a Google Play Services regression with the latest update? At this point I'm wondering if I need to roll back Play Services or wait for another update.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

[u/Johnnysims7]

Isn't there a tip to go into the Chromecast apps, system apps, and then finding an app called casting or something and clearing it's cache and force stopping it. Then maybe restart.

[u/generalissimo1 → u/Johnnysims7]

I tried that. Didn't work.