When they released Android TV they implemented the full apps into Chromecast so it went from just a video playing client to an extremely underpowered streaming stick, without a Google TV remote a lot of the players were broken and because it’s an out of production out of support device you are stuck with whatever crippled functionality they leave us. I tried to set one up for my wife a couple of weeks ago and she couldn’t cast certain YouTube videos to it because it was prompting her to sign-in but the sign-in functionality has been broken for two years now. If your device has somehow avoided any updates you have a gem; that thing would fetch a handsome sum on eBay.
Is it still a cheap dongle that people can use to quickly share media to the screen? Yes, that’s why I have five. I’d like them to support and keep making them. I’d like them to work as seamlessly as they did 2012-2015ish.