The Google support forums are a place filled with more complaints than we can keep track of because Google has so many users and so many services. Every once in a while, someone points out one that is trending or picking up enough steam to warrant a write-up that may help draw attention to it (like with Sonos vs. YouTube Music). Today, the spotlight is on Google’s Chromecast line-up and this really weird rounded corner issue that has frustrated a lot of users for several months now.
In July, Google pushed out a firmware update to Chromecast devices (2nd gen, 3rd gen, and Ultra) that added faux rounded corners to the images it displayed (reddit). As far as I can tell, these rounded corners weren’t only showing on Chromecast image screensavers and were also there while casting content.
As you can imagine, people who own TVs, which are rectangle and have pointy corners that show content not meant to have rounded corners, weren’t thrilled! After the complaints on this Google support thread piled up over these past five months, Google said on November 23 that they have identified “this issue” and “found” a solution:
I have some important updates to share around this issue. Our team believes they’ve found a solution for this issue and it will take some time to roll out. Please expect the fix to roll out over the next firmware update. We appreciate your patience.
I’m sorry, but Google found this issue? It sure looks like they meant to push an update that added rounded corners to the Chromecast UI. Since people clearly aren’t fans, it also seems like the solution is simple: they should just flip the switch back or turn off such a silly change. As I’m no developer, maybe this is a bigger change, but five months to do so? Woof.
Either way, Chromecast folks who aren’t fans of rounded corners, a firmware update is on the way! Well, we think so because Google told us so almost a month ago now.
Cheers Fearless Ferret!
Still not fixed. Would have returned my CC, if it still was within the warranty.
Still not fixed (I can verify this if you wish to contact me). Please update the article, as it reflects badly on the author. I would appreciate some media attention for the 100 percent reproducible 1080p60 stutter with YouTube (ALL 1080p60 YouTube videos stutter on ALL 3rd gen Chromecasts).
I’m surprised to hear that there is still a developer team for the old CCs at all…
Heck, not even the official help page listing firmware versions has been updated for 6 months.
Thank you so much for helping to bring attention to the rounded edges on Chromecast. Could you also please do a writeup on the 100 percent reproducible audio stutter and dropped frames on ALL 3rd gen Chromecasts when casting YouTube? This issue is even more severe since unlike the rounded edges, it breaks functionality, and thanks to the forced firmware updates, warranty replacement is not an option! I can’t quite understand how they aren’t scared to sell devices with firmware this broken. All it can POSSIBLY do is hurt their public image.
It will be “hilarious” if it turns out these idiotic rounded corners are what caused the 1080p60 Youtube stutter…
Sounds bizarre doesn’t it, but both issues first appeared in the same preview firmware update back in July as far as I remember. Perhaps the processor inside the pre-2020 CCs is really that stressed when playing 60 fps video and the rounded corners are too much.
I’m hoping this is the case, since the rounded corners is much more likely to be fixed (even though the 1080p60 stutter is much more invasive to the user experience, but this is the low standard Google has set for themselves).
And they broke them on the Pixel 3 XL. Now with the notch hidden the top bar is square, and doesn’t have the rounded corners like before/bottom. UGH
I just noticed the rounded corners on mine a few days ago. It’s been bugging the crap out of me ever since. Glad they are setting it back. It makes sense on phones so you can push the screen to the very edges, but there is absolutely no reason for this on a TV.
This kind of summarizes the current state of Google. Random software changes for the sake of change with no real world user input. If you’d asked anyone that used a Chromecast if the corners should be rounded, the answer would have been “No. Why would you want to do that?” instead of a random designer saying “Rounded edges are more aesthetically pleasing for users and will hurt their eyes less.” or some such nonsense. With all the bugs and issues in Google’s products, why even waste cycles on pointless feature additions at this point?
Overall I like the new Chromecast with Google TV but there are just so many glitches that it’s becoming annoying. From crashes to a purple screen, intermittent issues with Amazon Prime Video, inability to pin the Google TV app to the Apps menu, YouTube showing black screen and requiring a reboot to fix, long delays in purchased content showing up in the library, showing recommendations from services that are not connected…. And a few other less annoying ones (search results, recommendations, support for TV/speakers, etc.), it feels like the Chromecast was rushed out as badly as the Pixel Slate was. And yes, I’ve experienced all of these issues myself.
slowly, over time, I’m becoming less invested in Google Offerings (like moving from Chromecast to Roku, or GPM to Spotify, or YTTV to Sling). Mail, Calendar, and Drive are pretty solid and can be used well on other OS’s.
Other than a couple of instances of the Chromecast being laggy and having to be rebooted, the most annoying problem I’ve experienced is the video in the Hulu app freezing during ads — the audio keeps playing, but the video will be stuck, even when the ad finishes and the show resumes playing. You have to hit back, then resume the show, which always results in the ad break playing again.
I think thats android TV because my Mibox and Shield TV also do that.
We’ll see Google