Chromecast Continues to Not Be Found

Using Chromecast is fairly easy and straightforward. Plug it in, connect to the network and you are good to go. However, this simple process may sometimes be hindered by an error "Could not communicate with your Chromecast" error message. The error appears when you are trying to set up the cast and tell the Google Home application which network to connect to. This is surely troublesome as it prevents you from using your Chromecast dongle.

Could Not Communicate with Your Chromecast

If your Chromecast is not able to connect to the network that you are selecting, it is quite obvious that something is preventing it from establishing a connection. This could be caused due to your network settings on your phone at times, however, that's not highly likely. To understand the issue at hand a bit more, let us uncover the various reasons you might be facing this issue and then we will proceed with the different solutions that can be used to resolve the issue. Let us get started.

Google Home App — One of the reasons this error message might be triggered is the Google Home app. The Google Home app is used for connecting your Chromecast to your local network and thus, if something is wrong with the app files, the functionality won't work as intended. Therefore, in such a case, you will have to simply reinstall the Google Home app.
Chromecast Settings — Another possible cause of the issue can be the Chromecast dongle itself. In some cases, your Chromecast settings can cause the issue to arise and prevent it from establishing a connection. This can be easily resolved by simply factory resetting the device.
Network Connection — Finally, the network that you are trying to connect over can also potentially trigger the error message. This simply happens when the Chromecast isn't able to establish a bridge between the devices due to an issue with the network connection. Issues like these are usually resolved with a simple router restart.

With that said, we can finally get onto the different methods that you can try in order to have the issue resolved for yourself. So, without further ado, let us get into.

Toggle On Airplane Mode

The first thing that you should do when you face the error message in question is to turn on your airplane mode which automatically turns off any network connectivity to your device. Now, this might sound a bit weird and you might be wondering how does airplane mode come into all this but this has effectively resolved the issue for several users and might just work out for you as well. Whenever you turn on airplane mode, despite the device or operating system that you are using, it essentially disables several hardware functions that mainly use wireless connectivity.

Switching your phone to airplane mode is pretty simple and the option for it can be usually found in the quick settings area (swiping down on your phone). Once you have switched your phone to airplane mode, you will have to manually turn on WiFi. This will, as a result, disable airplane mode and you will be back online. After that, open up the Google Home app and proceed with the normal setup to see if the issue persists.

Reboot your Router

If switching your phone to airplane mode does not fix the issue for you, there are chances that the issue is being caused by your network connection. Unfortunately, simply toggling the WiFi connection on your phone won't do the trick here. In such a scenario, what you have to do is reboot your whole network from the router. This will restart the whole connection and get rid of the cache stored on your router. As a result, a new connection to your internet service provider will be established.

To reboot your router, simply locate where your router is placed. On the backside of your router, there will be a power button labeled ON/OFF. Press that button to restart the router. Once it is back up again, connect to your WiFi and see if the issue is still there.

Reinstall Google Home App

As it turns out, the Google Home app is used to set up any Google devices that you have including Chromecast. If the app files are damaged or something is wrong with the app itself, you won't be able to use it to set up your Chromecast device across the network. Therefore, in such a case, what you have to do is simply uninstall the app from your smartphone and then install a fresh copy from the store. To do this, follow the instructions down below:

First of all, on your smartphone, locate the Google Home app.
Hold down the app and then tap either the Uninstall option or the X icon that appears depending on your device to uninstall it.
Once you have uninstalled the app, make your way to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and search for Google Home.

Google Home App
Download and install the app again and then open it up.
Go through the setup process and see if the issue still appears.

Leave Chromecast Unplugged

In some cases, when the Chromecast device is not powered off properly, it can cause some issues with the functionality of the dongle. In such a scenario, what seems to be working is to leave it unplugged for a while. If you have tried all of the above solutions and none of them worked out for you, then you can simply unplug the Chromecast device and let it sit without any power for around 10 minutes. After that, you can plug it back in and go through the setup process to see if that bore any fruit.

Factory Reset Chromecast

At this point, if nothing has made your issue go away then your last resort would be to reset Chromecast to its default settings. In some cases, the issue can be due to your Chromecast configuration and in such a scenario, a factory reset will surely help. This will get rid of any settings stored on the device and everything will be reverted back to the default settings from the factory. To reset your Chromecast device, make sure it is plugged in. Then, simply press the small button on the side of the device for about 20 to 25 seconds. You will see a message on the screen that the device is reverting back to the default settings. Wait for it to finish.

Additionally, you can reset your Chromecast either through the Google Home app. Follow the below instructions to factory reset your Chromecast via the Google Home app:

First of all, open up the Google Home app.
Tap on the Devices icon at the top-right corner.

Google Home App
Locate your Chromecast device and then tap the three vertical dots.
From the drop-down menu, tap on Settings.

Chromecast Device Settings
Here, in the top-right corner again, tap the three vertical dots.
Finally, from the drop-down menu, tap on the Factory reset option to reset your device.

Resetting Chromecast