Disney+ subscribers in Germany can no longer cast movies and series to compatible TVs or receivers via AirPlay, effective immediately. Streaming via Google Chromecast is also no longer working. The move comes in the wake of another legal defeat for the streaming service against US patent licensing firm InterDigital at the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Düsseldorf Court Bars Casting Features
As Heise Online reports, InterDigital obtained a third preliminary injunction before the Düsseldorf local division (case no. UPC_CFI_297/2025) in early September. The court found Disney+ to be infringing European patent EP 2 080 349. The protected technology relates to methods for synchronizing and seamlessly handing off media content between different devices, such as transmitting a video stream from a smartphone to a smart TV.
The ban affects web streaming in the Chrome browser as well as the Disney+ apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Disney can appeal the ruling. So far, the company has neither commented publicly on disabling AirPlay nor informed its customers directly about the move.
Not the First Feature Cut for German Customers
For users in Germany, the loss of wireless screen casting is not the first setback. The dispute between InterDigital and Disney has been simmering for quite some time: Following a ruling by the Munich I Regional Court in November 2025, Disney had to drop Dolby Vision from its German service. HDR playback is now entirely missing, and 4K resolution was temporarily unavailable as well. At the time, Disney granted affected Premium subscribers a special right of termination.
In total, InterDigital claims to have enforced eight injunctions against Disney since February 2025 and is now seeking 101.7 million euros in damages for patent infringement involving HDR imaging technologies. According to InterDigital, Disney has not paid any licensing fees to date. When casting features like AirPlay or Chromecast will return for German users remains entirely uncertain.
What Subscribers Can Do Now
Those who want to watch Disney+ content on the big screen can no longer rely on the convenience of casting from a smartphone or tablet. If technical errors occur during playback instead, our guide on how to fix Disney+ error code 83 can often help resolve the issue.
Sources: Heise – News
