Constant unnecessary downloading of screensaver images

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What steps will reproduce the problem?

Chromecast constantly downloads a new screensaver image every minute of the day 
when not in use. No user action is required to trigger this behavior other than 
having the unit powered on and connected to a display.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

Chromecast should not download images when not in use. Alternately a small set 
of images should be stored on the device to avoid constant downloading. These 
unnecessary downloads add up to 250-300 MB per day or 7-9 GB per month, which 
is significant for users on capped-usage internet plans. 

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

Hardware was purchased in December 2013, currently running build 16041. This 
behavior has occurred since at least build 15250.

Please provide any additional information below.

This issue was previously submitted here by users (#116) and then closed by a 
Google employee with no specific comment on the issue itself when the SDK was 
released. However the issue is definitely still occurring in build 16041.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by wtsulli...@gmail.com on 15 Mar 2014 at 10:58

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Same here.
Please fix this.

Original comment by danutche...@gmail.com on 1 Apr 2014 at 11:55

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Original comment by gonzale...@google.com on 25 Sep 2014 at 6:15

• Changed state: Acknowledged

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On build 19084 the issue still exists. 

When the new Backdrop settings are all switched off, and the Chromecast is not 
actually in use, it still constantly downloads backdrop images, totalling 120 
MB/day or 4-5 GB per month of completely unwanted and unnecessary downloads.

I don't know why this is so hard to fix? Surely the new Backdrop settings 
should allow for completely switching off display of all images?

Original comment by wtsulli...@gmail.com on 22 Oct 2014 at 11:37

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As at December 17th This is still an issue.
I agree with the suggestion that it should be possible to disable all 
background images to stop this excessive data use.

Original comment by robert.g...@gmail.com on 18 Dec 2014 at 12:49

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When Chromecast devices become common these downloads will consume a 
significant percentage of total Internet bandwidth and a smaller but 
significant amount of power/carbon emissions.
The fix should not require user intervention. Best to check if HDMI active, if 
that is possible.
Please fix this.

Original comment by cliveblu...@gmail.com on 23 Dec 2014 at 1:42

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In my household I discovered a more serious variation of the issue. Someone 
started streaming an Internet TV channel to Chromecast in the early morning. 
They then switched the TV input to a regular channel. In the evening when I 
switched to Chromecast it was still streaming!!!
I worked from home that day and I had noticed that day that my Internet 
connection was slow. I did not think about the Chromecast at the time, but now 
it seems clear that it was the culprit.
Assuming that I am not the only one it happened to, consider the the effect on 
the Global Internet of many people streaming unnecessarily!

Original comment by cliveblu...@gmail.com on 28 Dec 2014 at 7:08

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cliveblu..@gmail.com: Chromecast has no way of knowing you haven't switched to 
it's source.

Original comment by andrewtr...@gmail.com on 11 Apr 2015 at 4:47

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Add a short tone every ten seconds to the audio (heartbeat) . It should be in a 
range that is audible only to a smartphone. Latest phones can listen without 
using too much power. The application can now cast a pause command when it does 
not hear the heartbeat for a while and resume when it hears again. 
Hope this helps. 
Clive 

Original comment by cliveblu...@gmail.com on 15 Apr 2015 at 5:42

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I cant see that it continuing to stream media that you have told it to do is a 
problem.
The fact the user has switched away from the streaming content is a user 
problem.

If I switch the lights on and leave a room should the room switch off the 
lights?
If I turn the taps on and start filling a bath and then leave the room I do not 
expect the taps to turn off by themselves.

The screensaver downloading continuous data forever is a separate issue and 
addressable issue.

Original comment by robert.g...@gmail.com on 15 Apr 2015 at 9:40

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If it was practical to install lights and taps that switched themselves off 
then I am sure that we would do it. Both of these exist but are too expensive 
for most private homes. I have certainly come across both of these in public 
places.

If I could spend six months writing some code that switched all lights and taps 
off, worldwide, automatically, then I would definitely do it. 
(After which, I would walk around for the rest of my life with a smile on my 
face, knowing that I had done more than any other person in the world to reduce 
the carbon footprint and increase the speed of the Internet)

Not long ago I consulted on-site at a customer or was systematically ripping 
out the fluorescent lights in a thirty story building and replacing them with 
LED lights, in addition to a new power plant to efficiently handle the reduced 
power consumption. The site had many more buildings all of which were going 
through the same process. The effort required for the suggested change is 
miniscule in comparison and will save more energy.

The problem is very real. Every time my Internet is slow I need to go and check 
the televisions to make sure they are not streaming. No amount of explaining to 
my household has remedied the problem. I find it hard to blame them, since 
unlike a lit light-bulb or a running tap, there is no indication that the 
streaming is occurring.

I am sure there will be worse cases, where the user complains to his ISP that 
his Internet is slow and they come and change the modem or router or VOIP box 
or all of them in order to try to fix the problem.

I realize that the solution that I suggest may require changes in more than one 
component of Android and that as such is not easy to achieve (there may even be 
simpler solutions), however I believe that it is worth the effort.
Clive

Original comment by cliveblu...@gmail.com on 16 Apr 2015 at 2:23

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As a workaround for now, you can add a Google+ photos album with a small number 
of photos (3-4) and turn off all other settings.  This will cause all images to 
be served from the cache.

Original comment by jonathan...@google.com on 7 May 2015 at 12:52

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Is there a trick to the described workaround? I created a few JPG images and 
placed into a 'Chromecast' album on Google+. These JPG are solid pastel colours 
hence compress to ~6KB in size. If you stop playback etc, I find the Chromecast 
will still download an image before using the album tha thas been configured. 
Firmware revision 31432.

Original comment by andrew.p...@gmail.com on 24 May 2015 at 11:14

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Could we please receive an option to switch off this feature and stop the 
constant use of data? Even the Nexus Player has the option to use color screens 
instead of downloadable pictures.

Original comment by conr...@hotmail.com on 3 Sep 2015 at 7:56

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Chromecast is such an awesome product. A real shame it is marred by this stupid 
behavior. Seriously considering returning it and buying an android media player 
:(

Original comment by macadami...@gmail.com on 3 Sep 2015 at 11:40

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This has been ignored for so long, must assume that this behavior is deliberate.

Original comment by macadami...@gmail.com on 15 Sep 2015 at 7:31

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[deleted comment]

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comment https://code.google.com/p/google-cast-sdk/issues/detail?id=200#c11 - 
Just to clarify, I tried a Google photo album with just one image and it was 
not sufficient to stop Google+ sending unwanted and unwelcome images as well as 
that single image. Two images seems to be the minimum you can get away with. 
Note you can setup Flickr to serve a single photo but you still need to have 
google photos customised to use a single album otherwise it will serve you all 
its unwanted and unwelcome google+ images, so you are not saving any bandwidth. 

For each of the images sources (Google, Flickr, etc) are they pulled from a 
common per service host that I could block using a rule in my router? That is a 
rule that will stop just photos being served to Chromecast's IP address.  

If it were possible to block google+ photos with a rule what other google 
services (I am assuming none) that the Chromecast uses would be impacted by 
such a rule?

Original comment by Skip.Ry...@gmail.com on 31 Dec 2015 at 7:19