Skip to main content

Netflix latest app may not be available to download on your rooted Android phone

An anti-piracy feature makes Android a less hospitable place for rooted users

The latest version of the Netflix app may not work if you have rooted or otherwise altered the Android operating system on your smartphone — and other apps could soon follow in its place.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that Netflix had adopted Google’s Widevine Digital Rights Management protocol in version 5.0 of its app, which prohibits non-Google certified devices, or those which have been rooted, from being able to download certain apps from the Play Store. However, recent reports suggest Netflix may not have utilized Widevine at all, but instead a new tool made available to all developers through the Google Play Console.

Recommended Videos

It’s called SafetyNet Attestation and, when enabled for an app’s Play Store listing, it prevents that software from being installed to devices not accounted for in Google’s Device Catalog, according to AndroidPolice. Rooted devices, as well as those with custom ROMs installed, would not pass certification, so they’d be unable to receive these apps.

Why has Google done this? Just like all DRM tools, it’s in the name of avoiding piracy. Android phones which have been rooted — a term that means you have modified the operating system to gain complete and unrestricted access to the file structure and inner workings — may make it easier for people to pirate shows and movies downloaded from Netflix. The company recently introduced mobile downloads through its app, making this more of a concern.

However, rooting an Android phone is popular among those who like to change the look of the software, change the ROM itself, uninstall pesky apps forced on you by carriers, and play around with the device’s performance. Developers also often have phones with root access to test apps. It takes some effort to root a phone, so if you’re not sure if your phone is rooted, then it probably isn’t.

There are exceptions. Some phones, particularly imported models, often have custom ROMs installed by the importers, and are therefore rooted when you buy them. If you own a Xiaomi, Meizu, Oppo, or any number of other popular import-only Chinese phones, this may include your device. For example, the official Netflix app does not show up at all in the Google Play Store on our imported Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X, although we have not changed the software ourselves.

While the existence of Widevine was discouraging for users of such devices, SafetyNet is potentially more limiting because it allows developers to effortlessly exclude them, with just the click of a drop-down menu in the Google Play Console.

Interestingly, however, employing SafetyNet in this manner doesn’t prevent rooted devices from being able to run the app in question — just their ability to download it from the Google Play Store. Which means you can still grab Netflix through third-party APK hosting sites, though that is hardly a perfect solution.

With SafetyNet Attestation, Google is, in effect, forcing users of rooted devices to go to potentially shady corners of the internet to download apps that have always been historically available to them. And that is a bit disconcerting, considering shoring up security on the platform has consistently been named one of the Android team’s foremost goals.

What is the solution? We’ve contacted Netflix for confirmation of the situation and asked if it has any advice for subscribers who may be affected by the app update. In the meantime, if this has you worried that you will miss the impending return of House of Cards, it is possible to unroot a mobile device, a process we explain here, and that should let you download the app from the Play Store again. This will not be applicable to everyone, though, ensuring that despite advances, DRM schemes have lost none of their ability to frustrate.

Article originally published on 05-15-2017 by Andy Boxall. Article updated on 05-19-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added news that Netflix may have employed SafetyNet Attestation, rather than Widevine.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Best apps to get your phone Christmas ready
iPhone 15 Pro held in hand in front of a Christmas tree.

As the year winds down, the holidays get closer. Whether you love them or not, your phone is a vital way to make sure you make it through this stressful period with your sanity intact. Thankfully, your smartphone, whether it’s an Android or an iPhone, has plenty of ways to keep yourself busy when you just want some space from friends and family. They also offer multiple ways to entertain your guests.

Here are some apps and games to keep you and everyone happy this holiday season. Think of it as a holiday survival guide, with a selection of apps for every circumstance.
Heads Up!

Read more
6 excellent iPhone apps that I wish were available on Android
Four iPhone exclusive apps and associated widgets on an iPhone 16 Pro homescreen

For the past 15 years, the way we think about and use technology has been completely reshaped. What was once a hardware-first industry quickly became a software-first one, and this radical evolution of technology can be traced back to one pivotal moment. In 2009, Apple debuted the iPhone 3G and the first App Store. This launch ushered in a new era: the smartphone, complete with apps. It also debuted one of the best commercials, complete with a catchphrase that is sometimes still used today: There’s an app for that.

For many years, the iPhone had a plethora of apps that were not available on Android. While most of these are now available cross-platform, not every developer has embraced the billions of potential customers who don’t have an iPhone. Even now, some apps launch first on iOS and can take months or years to launch on Android.

Read more
Future Android phones may come with another preinstalled Google app
The new Cardio Load and Readiness features in the Fitbit app.

If you have an Android phone, you know it comes with many preinstalled Google apps, such as Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps. In future Android versions, another Google app might be automatically added to the mix.

As 9to5Google first noted, the Oppo Find X8 has Google’s Fitbit app preloaded on the device. It’s now part of Google’s Android app suite on that handset and replaces Google Fit. The site suggests, and probably rightly so, that more Android-based devices will also probably ship with Fitbit preinstalled in the future.

Read more