Google Cast Wi-Fi Disruption Fix Arrives Tomorrow For Android

In recent days, attention was drawn to Google Cast and its involvement in Wi-Fi issues for some users. Today Google has released a support page acknowledging the problem, saying that there's a bug where Chromecast devices could cause slow Wi-Fi performance. That bug originates from the Cast software for Android phones, Google explains, which could "incorrectly send a large amount of network traffic" that negatively impacts wireless networks.

Google's statement is made on a Google Home support page, meaning most users aren't likely to have spotted it unless they were rooting through Google help documents. According to the support page, this bug's impact on any given Wi-Fi network depends on the router being used, which explains why some users are more severely impacted than others.

This issue is said to only impact users who have an Android smartphone and a Chromecast built-in device on the same network — this means any Android user with a Google Home, for example, though not everyone is impacted by the bug.

Reports of this issue span multiple online destinations and can be found dating back many weeks. Perhaps thanks to the recent public attention, Google says it will be released a fix for the problem tomorrow, January 18. This will be a software update released through Google Play services.

If you're having problems now, though, Google suggests you try rebooting your phone, and also updating your router's firmware if it isn't using the latest version.