Popcorn Time Not Working On Chromecast? New Fix Enables Free Movies On Mac, Android

Popcorn Time has fixed a system error that prevented many users from watching free movies via a Google Chromecast device. The patch comes at least four days after users on Reddit and social media complained that the normally reliable piracy service wasn't working on Mac or Android devices.

“When I try to load Popcorn Time to my Chromecast it will download just fine ... then the program freezes and has to be shut down to work,” wrote one Reddit user in a post that reflected much of the frustration online over the past week. “It had been working since I got it, then one day this started.”

The solution is available in a video, embedded below, that instructs users to open Popcorn Time on their computer and change just a single line of code. Other users reported that simply uninstalling Popcorn Time, then restarting their computer and re-installing the program was a successful fix. The instructions to fix Popcorn Time on a Mac are as follows, according to one member of the Popcorn Time forums:

Navigate to the applications folder, right click popcorntime, click show package contents then navigate to ContentsResourcesapp.nwnode_modulesChromecast.js

Right click on "pt-media-reciever.js" and open it with text edit

Change the '887D0748' and replace it with DefaultMediaReceiver.APP_ID

The line should read

PopcornStyledMediaReceiver.APP_ID = DefaultMediaReceiver.APP_ID;

Reboot Popcorn Time

One member of the Popcorn Time support team said the issues began when Google blocked Popcorn Time for Chromecast users.

Popcorn Time is a loosely affiliated network of open source websites that enable users to access Hollywood movies, some of them still in theaters, directly on their computer. The sites have earned the “Netflix for pirates” moniker for their ease of use, but the legal issues that come with copyright infringement have forced users to remain vigilant in their attempts to stay ahead of law enforcement.