Read connection checks without guessing
Open the gear-shaped Settings button, then Connection checks. Browser support, Cast SDK readiness, TV discovery and website local-network permission are separate observations. Ready means the SDK can be used; it does not mean a TV has been found. Unknown means the browser did not report a usable result.
A website permission shown as Ask when needed is not proof of an Android app-level denial. Allow relevant permission when the browser or operating system actually requests it, but do not grant unrelated Location, Bluetooth or other access as a general cure. Android’s local-network rules distinguish operating-system and app-target requirements.
Check the actual device and connection
The TV needs Google Cast support for Chrome’s direct chooser; Miracast-only support is not equivalent. For iPhone’s manual route, the TV needs AirPlay instead. Make sure the source device and TV use the same Wi-Fi network, rather than assuming that similarly named guest and main networks can communicate.
If a VPN or guest-network isolation is in use, it may prevent local discovery. Check that specific condition rather than changing router security blindly. Google’s discovery guide also warns that Netflix and YouTube use specialized discovery, so seeing a TV there is not a complete comparison for a normal Cast sender.
Use the receiver comparison carefully
With no active or pending Cast session, Connection checks can open Compare TV discovery in a separate tab. Follow the page’s receiver comparisons and cancel each chooser without selecting a TV. The comparison does not load media or prove that a file will play.
If Google’s default receiver appears but this app’s receiver does not, the result narrows attention to app-specific availability. If both lists are empty, it does not isolate this site’s receiver registration. If the same custom receiver appears in the comparison but not in the player, record that distinction. Copy connection details provides the allowlisted observations for sharing; avoid adding filenames or private account details.
Use the working Android system path when available
If both Chrome receiver comparisons show empty lists but Android’s Quick Settings Cast finds the TV, the working system route is a useful alternative. The difference does not establish a receiver-registration cause or prove that Google removed Web Sender support. There is no verified blanket fix for every empty Chrome chooser.
Open Settings → Use Android screen casting, open your selected file’s player, then use Quick Settings → Cast to choose the TV. Return to Chrome and press Play on this phone. Follow the Android guide. The website cannot confirm or stop the system’s TV connection.
Separate discovery from playback errors
Once a TV appears and can be selected, an error during preparation or playback is a different stage. A codec change, subtitle file or lower quality cannot explain a TV missing before any media has been loaded. Use format support, audio checks or buffering checks for those later problems.
If the chooser remains empty, record the browser, device, connection-check states and which comparison worked. Google’s Pixel casting instructions describe the native system route. A successful system chooser is useful evidence, but it does not establish Chrome’s per-app permission state.
Ready when you are
Start with your file.
Open the player, choose one file, then use the casting option for your device. Any preparation stays on your device.
Open Cast to Your TV