Hey! We’ll fix why your Chromecast is not discovering devices (or why your phone can’t see Chromecast). To get you to a real solution fast, I need a few details because discovery issues can be app-permission, Wi-Fi, or router settings (mDNS/multicast) — and each one has a different fix:

• Which device is it: Chromecast (1st/2nd/3rd gen), Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast with Google TV, or Google TV Streamer?
• What are you casting from: Android, iPhone/iPad, Windows/Mac (Chrome browser), or all of them?
• What’s the exact symptom: Google Home can’t find Chromecast during setup, or setup is done but apps show “No devices found”, or the Cast icon is missing in YouTube/Netflix/Spotify?
• Network setup: normal Wi-Fi vs guest network, mesh Wi-Fi (Eero/Orbi/Deco), or a router with “AP isolation / client isolation / wireless isolation”?

Share those and we’ll walk step-by-step through the most common causes: same Wi-Fi mismatch, iOS “Local Network” off, Android location permissions, router multicast blocking, or the Chromecast being stuck on the wrong band (2.4 vs 5 GHz).

Perfect — the fact you see the Chromecast screen on HDMI tells us power + TV input are good. When the TV shows Chromecast normally but your phone says Chromecast not showing up / Google Home can’t find Chromecast, it’s almost always one of these:

• Your phone and Chromecast are not truly on the same Wi-Fi network (common with mesh, extenders, band steering, or guest networks).
• Your router is blocking discovery traffic (Chromecast uses mDNS / multicast for device discovery). Features like AP isolation / client isolation or some “IoT network” modes can break it.
• On iPhone/iPad, Local Network permission is off; on Android, location services/permission can block discovery (“No devices found”).
• VPN / firewall / “private DNS” or aggressive ad-blocking can interfere with discovery in some setups.

We’ll do a clean, reliable path: confirm the network, do a quick reboot sequence, then fix the most common router + permission settings. You should see the Chromecast appear in Google Home and the Cast button return in apps.

Great — on iPhone the #1 reason for Chromecast not discovering devices is iOS permissions. Let’s do the quickest high-impact checks first.

Step 1 — Enable iPhone permissions needed for Chromecast discovery
1) Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network.
2) Find Google Home and turn Local Network ON (this allows the app to see devices on your LAN).
3) Also ensure Bluetooth is ON (Chromecast setup/discovery can use Bluetooth for nearby detection).

Step 2 — Quick reboot sequence (fixes “stuck discovery”)
1) Unplug Chromecast power (not just HDMI) for 30 seconds.
2) Reboot your iPhone (yes, really — it clears stale network discovery).
3) Plug Chromecast back in and wait 1–2 minutes until it fully boots.
4) Open Google Home and pull down to refresh the device list.

If Google Home still says it can’t find Chromecast, we’ll move to the “mesh Wi-Fi discovery” checks: same band/SSID, guest network, and router multicast settings (mDNS).

Good catch on Local Network — that was necessary. Next, we verify the “same network” in a mesh context, because mesh systems can show the same Wi-Fi name while still isolating clients or separating bands behind the scenes.

Step 3 — Confirm you’re not on Guest / isolated Wi-Fi
1) In your mesh app/router settings, confirm your iPhone is on the main/home network, not Guest or an IoT network that isolates devices.
2) If your mesh has an option like “Client Isolation / AP Isolation / Device Isolation”, make sure it’s OFF for the network the Chromecast is using.

Step 4 — Temporarily disable blockers that hide devices
• Turn off any VPN on the iPhone (VPNs can break local discovery).
• If you use iCloud Private Relay, try disabling it briefly while testing casting (some setups get weird with local device discovery).

Step 5 — Force Chromecast onto the same band when possible
Chromecast and the phone generally can discover each other across 2.4/5 GHz on a normal LAN, but some mesh systems behave better if both land on the same band during troubleshooting. If you can, move the phone near the router node that the Chromecast is near, then refresh Google Home again.

After these steps, check: does the Chromecast show in Google Home at all, even as “offline” or “needs setup”? That detail decides whether we fix discovery (mDNS) or fix Wi-Fi connection state.

Yes — this is exactly where many “Chromecast not discovering devices” cases land: the router/mesh is blocking the discovery traffic that makes Chromecast appear in apps.

Chromecast discovery relies on local network broadcasts like mDNS / multicast. If the mesh isolates clients (even unintentionally), the Chromecast will be “invisible” and you’ll see:
• Google Home can’t find Chromecast
• No devices found in YouTube/Spotify
• Cast icon missing, or it only appears sometimes

Step 6 — Check isolation, multicast, and security features in your mesh app
In the Eero app (or similar mesh apps), look for settings that sound like:
• Guest network (must be OFF for Chromecast use, or Chromecast + phone must both be on the same guest network — not recommended).
• Device/client isolation (must be OFF).
• “Block local traffic”, “AP isolation”, or “wireless isolation” (must be OFF).
• Advanced features that affect multicast (sometimes called IGMP snooping or “optimize for conferencing/streaming”). If you have toggles, we can test with them ON/OFF, but start with anything that explicitly says it blocks local communication — turn that OFF.

Step 7 — Restart the mesh in sequence
1) Power off the Chromecast (unplug).
2) Restart the main Eero gateway node, wait until fully online.
3) Restart the node closest to the Chromecast (if separate).
4) Plug Chromecast back in and wait 2 minutes, then refresh Google Home.

This combination fixes a lot of “Chromecast not showing up on iPhone” issues on mesh networks.

Progress — “appears then disappears” usually means discovery is now allowed, but the Chromecast is dropping off the network or bouncing between nodes/bands.

Step 8 — Make Chromecast’s connection stable (stops disappearing)
1) Power stability: If possible, power Chromecast from the wall adapter, not a TV USB port. TV USB can cut power when the TV sleeps, causing the Chromecast to vanish and reappear.
2) Wi-Fi signal: Keep the Chromecast reasonably close to the nearest mesh node. If it’s behind a TV with lots of metal, use the HDMI extender (if you have one) to improve reception.
3) DHCP/IP stability: In your router/mesh, check if you can set a reserved IP (DHCP reservation) for the Chromecast. If the IP keeps changing, some setups behave like the device “moves” and discovery becomes flaky.
4) Band steering / node hopping: Mesh sometimes “moves” devices between nodes. If your mesh allows it, try temporarily placing the Chromecast closer to the primary node or the nearest node for testing. Once stable, you can put it back and confirm it stays discoverable.

After doing the above, test in this order:
• Open Google Home → does the Chromecast stay visible for 5–10 minutes?
• Open YouTube → does the Cast icon stay present consistently?
• Try a short cast session (1–2 minutes) → if it drops, we focus on Wi-Fi stability rather than discovery settings.

Absolutely — if Google Home is stuck in a weird state, a clean reset is the fastest way to fix “setup can’t find device” and “Chromecast not discovered” problems.

Step 9 — Factory reset Chromecast (clean setup)
1) With Chromecast powered on, press and hold the physical button on the Chromecast.
2) Keep holding until the LED changes behavior (it can take ~10–25 seconds depending on model) and the TV screen indicates it’s resetting.
3) Let it reboot fully to the “Ready to set up” screen.

Step 10 — Set up again in Google Home (avoid common pairing traps)
1) On iPhone: confirm Local Network is ON for Google Home (we already did this).
2) Turn Wi-Fi off/on on the iPhone, then open Google Home.
3) In Google Home → Add → Set up device → New device, then select your home.
4) Stay near the Chromecast during setup (Bluetooth helps nearby detection).

If it still fails at “can’t find device” during setup, that’s almost always a router discovery block or network isolation. Since you already found an isolation setting, we’ll verify there’s no leftover guest/IoT segmentation and make sure multicast/mDNS discovery is allowed across the LAN.

Great — now let’s “lock it in” so you don’t end up again with Chromecast not showing up, cast icon missing, or No devices found after an update.

Prevent Chromecast discovery issues (best practices)
• Keep Chromecast and your phone on the same primary Wi-Fi (avoid guest network for casting). Guest networks often block local device discovery by design.
• Avoid enabling AP/client isolation or any setting that “blocks local network access” on the SSID used by Chromecast.
• If you use an “IoT network”, confirm it supports local LAN discovery. Many IoT modes intentionally prevent device-to-device communication, which breaks Chromecast discovery (mDNS).
• Power Chromecast from the wall adapter to prevent sleep-power drops (this alone fixes “appears/disappears” on many TVs).
• If your mesh allows it, keep Chromecast near a stable node and avoid frequent node changes (device “roaming” can make casting feel unreliable).
• If casting ever stops after iOS updates, immediately re-check Settings → Local Network for Google Home and the casting app. Permissions can flip during updates.

If you want, tell me your exact Eero model + whether you have any “advanced security” features enabled — I can point out the 1–2 toggles most likely to break Chromecast device discovery in the future.

Summary: When Chromecast is not discovering devices, fix it in this order: enable iOS Local Network for Google Home, confirm phone + Chromecast are on the same non-guest Wi-Fi, disable AP/client isolation, reboot the mesh/router in sequence, and power Chromecast from the wall adapter. If discovery is still stuck, a factory reset followed by a fresh Google Home setup usually resolves “Google Home can’t find Chromecast” and “No devices found.” Need help finding the exact router setting (multicast/mDNS) for your model? Open the chat and we’ll walk it step by step.