According to The Verge, Netflix has removed the ability for most subscribers to cast shows and movies from their phones to their TVs. The change was first spotted on an updated help page and reported by users on Reddit as happening around November 10th with no warning. Casting now only works on older Chromecast devices or native Google Cast TVs, and critically, only for users on Netflix’s ad-free plans, which start at $17.99 per month. Anyone on the cheaper, $7.99 ad-supported tier is completely locked out from casting, even with compatible older hardware. The company has not explained the reasoning, merely directing users to use their TV’s remote control instead. This follows a similar 2019 move where Netflix dropped AirPlay support.
The Quiet, User-Hostile Shift
Here’s the thing that really grates about this move: the stealth. Rolling out a significant feature removal with “zero warning,” as one Reddit user put it, is a deeply user-hostile practice. It treats a core functionality—something people have relied on for years to navigate from their couch—as disposable. And let’s be honest, using a TV’s native Netflix app or its clunky remote is almost always a worse experience than the slick speed of casting from your phone. So why do it? The 2019 AirPlay kill gives us a clue: “quality.” That’s corporate-speak for control. By forcing you into the app on your TV or streaming stick, Netflix gains more precise data on your viewing habits and, more importantly, eliminates any potential technical hiccups or intermediary apps between their service and your screen.
The New Tiered Casting Apartheid
But the real story isn’t just the removal—it’s the new, brutal tiering. Locking basic casting behind the $17.99 per month ad-free plan is a stark declaration of Netflix’s new world order. It basically says your convenience and your preferred method of navigation are now premium features. Think about that. The person paying $7.99 a month with ads, who already endures interruptions, now can’t even choose how to start a show? That’s a double penalty. It aggressively funnels budget-conscious users toward the experience Netflix wants to give them, not the one they choose. This isn’t about device compatibility; it’s about using software gates to reinforce payment tiers. It makes the cheaper plan feel deliberately crippled.
What’s The Real Endgame?
So where does this end? If phone casting is being phased out for “quality,” what’s next? Will they start limiting resolution or stream quality based on whether you use a TV’s built-in app versus a dedicated box? This move feels like part of a broader, slow-motion land grab for the living room dashboard. Every tech and streaming company wants to own that home screen. By making their own app the only (or best) path, they reduce the relevance of universal protocols like Google Cast. For users, the fragmentation and inconvenience just keep growing. You now need a mental map of which apps cast from which devices on which subscription plans. It’s exhausting. And for a service that once championed simplicity and “just working,” it’s a pretty significant philosophical retreat.
