Picture of the Google Chromecast Audio receiver with rebooting in progress, showing orange pilot lamp.

How to Restart Chromecast Audio

Shows how to restart the Chromecast Audio receiver device.  Now you may wish to do this if you notice the following.

  • It shows poor or slow performance.
  • The receiver does not play when you cast to it.
  • It emits strange noises through the attached speakers.
  • It breaks up, chirps, pops, or squeals.

Always try a Chromecast Audio device restart first (described here), as this often clears up many problems, and avoids the unnecessary action of hard resetting your receiver.





How to Restart Chromecast Audio Method One: The Local Method

To restart Chromecast Audio if you’re near it, you can do the following.

  • Unplug it from AC power.
  • Wait ten seconds.
  • Then plug it back in.

The best way is to unplug the far end of the USB cord from the AC outlet.

The Chromecast Audio will finish rebooting in less than a minute after you plug it back in.

How to Restart Chromecast Audio Method Two: The Remote Method

But perhaps you are far away from your Chromecast Audio receiver.  E.g. Maybe you are downstairs from it. In that case, you can send a restart command to it via the Google Home app as follows. Plus, you don’t have to get near it.

This method depends on the following.

  • You need the Google Home app on your phone or tablet.
  • The app must also link to the same Google account as the Chromecast device to restart.
  • You must connect your phone or tablet to the same local network as the Chromecast Audio.

If all of that is in place, then do the following, to effect a remote device restart.

1. Run the Google Home App on your Tablet or Phone

We’re using an iPad Air computer tablet in this demo. And, this app is located on page three of the iPad’s home screen, although yours may appear in a different location, depending on how many apps you have installed as well as how you might have arranged them.

Picture of the Google Home App entry, as shown on the iOS home screen.
Google Home App entry, as shown on the iOS home screen.

Upon running this app, the Google home screen appears, as follows.

Picture of the Google Home app on iOS, displaying the Home screen, with the Hamburger control highlighted.
Google Home app on iOS, displaying the Home screen, with the Hamburger control highlighted.

2. Tap the  Hamburger  Menu Control

This control is found in the top left corner of the Home app Home screen, as pointed at in the last picture by the pink arrow.

So tapping the Hamburger control brings up the main menu as shown next.

Picture of the Google Home app on iOS, displaying its main menu, with the devices item highlighted.
Google Home app on iOS, displaying its main menu, with the devices item highlighted..

3. Tap the   Devices   Menu Item

This brings up a list of your local Google devices that have been configured on the current Google account, as shown next for our case.





4. Find the Chromecast Audio Device you Wish to Restart

Look for that Chromecast by scrolling down through the list until you find it. We currently only have one of these, called “bedroom speakers.” So we found ours straight away, as shown next.

Picture of the Google Chromecast Audio receiver as it appears in the Google Home app, with its device control menu button circled.
Google Chromecast Audio receiver as it appears in the Google Home app, with its device control menu button circled.

5. Tap the Chromecast Audio Device’s Hamburger Menu Control 

Fine that control menu link in the top right corner of the Chromecast Audio card, as shown inside the purple circle in the last picture.

The Chromecast’s control menu then appears, as shown next.

Picture of the Google Chromecast Audio receiver, as shown in the Google Home app, with its Restart option circled.
Google Chromecast Audio receiver, as shown in the Google Home app, with its Restart option circled.

6. Tap the   Reboot   Menu Item

The Reboot option is circled in purple in the previous picture. The Reboot Confirmation dialog then displays, something like that shown in the next picture.

Picture of the Google Chromecast Audio receiver, as shown in the Google Home app, displaying the Reboot Confirmation dialog box. with the Reboot button circled. Reboot Chromecast Audio.
Google Chromecast Audio receiver, as shown in the Google Home app, displaying the Reboot Confirmation dialog box. with the Reboot button circled. Reboot Chromecast Audio.

7. Tap the   REBOOT Link in the Reboot Confirmation Dialog Box

This initiates a remote restart of your Chromecast receiver, closes the reboot confirmation dialog box, and returns you to the Devices List screen. Your receiver will temporarily disappear from this screen as it restarts, and will reappear once the restart finishes.

Note the light on your Chromecast Audio device. It should indicate that a restart is in progress within thirty seconds of your issuing the command, by turning from white to orange, as shown next.  The purple arrow points at the orange pilot lamp in the next picture.

Picture of the Google Chromecast Audio receiver with rebooting in progress, showing orange pilot lamp.
Google Chromecast Audio receiver with rebooting in progress, showing orange pilot lamp.

8. Done with How to Restart Chromecast Audio !

Once the receiver again appears in the Devices List in the Home app, and its pilot light has turned from orange back to white again, restart has finished successfully, and you can once again try casting to it. Hopefully, restarting the unit has solved any issues you were having. But if not, you can always try more drastic measures, such as resetting your Chromecast, and then setting it up again.





Other Posts About the Chromecast Audio Receiver

  1. How to Reset Chromecast Audio to Factory Settings
  2. Chromecast Audio Equalizer Adjust Bass Treble
  3. How to Connect Google Chromecast Audio
  4. Reboot Chromecast Audio Instructions, How To
  5. Chromecast Audio Power Supply 

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References for How to Restart Chromecast Audio

  1. How to Restart your Chromecast Audio, from Google Support

Revision History

  • 2020-06-29: First published.