Netflix Blocked on Rooted and Unlocked Android Devices

Megalith

Megalith

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Netflix is now preventing rooted/unlocked Android users from downloading their app: those who try will merely get the message the app is incompatible with their phone or tablet. The latest version of the program utilizes DRM that only allows for Google-certified devices, although the block seems tied around a device's SaftetyNet status. Interestingly, the app still works if you manage to get it on your phone through other means.

If you're not familiar with it, Widevine is a Google-made DRM technology that works across various desktop and mobile platforms. Widevine categorizes devices into three security levels, ranging from all processes running in the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) to not running anything in TEE at all. However, the Play Store listing seems tied to a device's SaftetyNet status (which is used by Android Pay), rather than the Widevine TEE. For example, Artem's bootloader-unlocked stock Pixel is still on Widevine Level 1, the most secure level, but fails SafetyNet because it is unlocked.
 
I have my galaxy tab s rooted for one specific reason, to use adoptable storage, so I can have my games and work apps installed at the same time. Netflix is installed but no longer shows up on my library list and doesn't even show up in a search. I guess I won't be able to update it going forward. I already have to jump through hoops to watch the shows I want to watch and now this ... I keep trying to give netflix my money but it looks like they don't really want it.
 
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What is the reasoning behind this? I mean I could see Google doing this with the Youtube app, since they own own both, but not sure why Netflix should care.
 
The reason stuff gets blocked on rooted devices is that it is not the walled garden anymore. While you may have legitimate reason for rooting, from media providers side it is a untrusted device - you could also have for examnple something grabbing the video frames of the video. Thus, it won't play media, or even refuse to install.
 
What about using Netflix through a web browser? Is the app required now?

NeghVar said:
checked the google store and sure enough, got the message. Went to an apk mirror site and got a Netflix build from two weeks ago. Installed fine. Logged in fine. Watching Netflix on my rooted smartphone
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And how long do you think it will be before they only allow current versions of the app?
 
My N6 with root and pure Nexus ROM has no issue using Netflix... I just did a clean install downloaded right from Google play...
 
GotNoRice said:
What about using Netflix through a web browser? Is the app required now?



And how long do you think it will be before they only allow current versions of the app?
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I do not know, but I do not watch Netflix on my phone. So, when it is eventually blocked, it will not have an impact on me
 
GotNoRice said:
How is this any worse than using Netflix on a computer?
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Lots of companies do not have an all-or-nothing approach. If they can exert more control over one aspect of their business, in this case mobile, then they will, even if they cannot exert more control over all aspects.

Think of it this way: you're buying toilet paper and paper towels from the same brand. Two extremely similar items from the same source. You have a coupon for one but not the other. Are you going to throw away that coupon because it doesn't work on both?
 
Neurofreeze said:
Lots of companies do not have an all-or-nothing approach. If they can exert more control over one aspect of their business, in this case mobile, then they will, even if they cannot exert more control over all aspects.

Think of it this way: you're buying toilet paper and paper towels from the same brand. Two extremely similar items from the same source. You have a coupon for one but not the other. Are you going to throw away that coupon because it doesn't work on both?
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I've read your post now several times, and I'm still not sure how your coupon example relates to exerting control. In the case of Netflix, it's a single subscription regardless of which device you use it on. In my case, I am seriously considering "throwing away" my subscription because unlike toilet paper, I can ultimately download anything on Netflix for free anyway. Netflix is worth it even just for the convenience factor, but that could quickly cease to be the case if they start to overestimate the control that they actually have over their users.
 
GotNoRice said:
How is this any worse than using Netflix on a computer?
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I got news for you, they are working hard to close that hole too. All new Intel and AMD chips have to support PlayReady 3.0, which is a Microsoft technology that controls when the screen can be recorded. Our windows computers are essentially glorified consoles at this point.
 
Spire3660 said:
I got news for you, they are working hard to close that hole too. All new Intel and AMD chips have to support PlayReady 3.0, which is a Microsoft technology that controls when the screen can be recorded. Our windows computers are essentially glorified consoles at this point.
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there should be a way to block this tech. I doubt anyone is going to come out with a program like netflix that only allows new cpus to use it.
 
As noted, basically sideloading the app works without issues, and some devices - even though they're rooted - still work so, I don't see this as a big issue at all really.

Anyone that knows enough to get their device rooted knows how to get around such bullshit anyway, if not then they shouldn't have bothered to root the device in the first place. ;)
 
M76 said:
Facepalm.

And they wonder why people rather pirate their shit.

I'm actually starting to wish that they'd wither and die with all their anti consumer bullshit, all of them.
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There's nothing to pirate. The movies are rubbish nowadays. There're plenty of streams to choose from.
 
As long as I can run Netflix through a browser in Linux i'll be content. The second I can't do that I'm unsubscribing. I think that not running on rooted phones is BS but I don't watch netflix on my phone.
 
!@#$ well looks like sideload is going to go up... When will they learn this doesn't help anything all it means is they will make things like magisk which hides root from safety net...
 
Stimpy88 said:
Netflix has turned in to quite the little hive of DRM nastiness over the last year or two.
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Playing Devil's advocate here: if Netflix wants to show movies and TV shows from major movie and TV studios, they don't have any choice in the matter since it's part of the licensing agreements that Netflix must do everything they can to provide DRM protection on said content, without it Netflix could not exist as a business itself and the movie and TV studios would just be pushing out their own content. That's what a lot of them are now starting to do with their own pay-to-view services of various kinds and, guess what, their services use DRM too.

So it's not just Netflix here that's "the bad guy" in that respect: if you want to view copyrighted content legally then it's going to have some DRM somewhere in the signal path like it or not.
 
Plex/Sonarr FTW! It's just so much more streamlined and simple to get the shit I want to play without hoops

And yes I do pay for a Netflix sub, and Prime sub too
 
Vercinaigh said:
I'd imagine not a lot of it is choice either, sadly Hollywood continues to control our lives in a large way as far as how we choose to get our media.
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Well they sure have a big influence on how we get our media by alienating the consumers.
If anything I wish piracy stopped for nothing else but to show them that they're not getting more money until they stop bullying their customers.
 
GotNoRice said:
I've read your post now several times, and I'm still not sure how your coupon example relates to exerting control. In the case of Netflix, it's a single subscription regardless of which device you use it on. In my case, I am seriously considering "throwing away" my subscription because unlike toilet paper, I can ultimately download anything on Netflix for free anyway. Netflix is worth it even just for the convenience factor, but that could quickly cease to be the case if they start to overestimate the control that they actually have over their users.
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Because you're still looking at it through YOUR point of view.

It is not YOUR coupon. It is their's. It is an example of how many people of this forum have this ridiculous notion that everything is all-or-nothing. Just because they cannot exert more control over your PC does not mean exerting more control over your mobile devices is not beneficial or logical to them.

I am not advocating their behavior, but I am telling you their logic.

Let me put it to you another way since my first example went right over.

Let's say we run a media publishing company, and for whatever reason, half our machines use OSX and the other Windows, and for whatever reason, we cannot change this ratio (easy to imagine, because employees do not appreciate sudden changes in workflow). There just happens to be some ransomware floating around that magically affects both OSX and Windows equally, with the same infection rate and everything.

We have a patch that instantly blocks one of those OSes, but not the other. Would you just say, "Fuck it, half my machines will be getting infected anyway!" and leave both OSes unpatched? Or would you want to patch at least that 50% ASAP?

Now you bring up a good point, which actually is in my (rather their) favor: how much control does any company have over their users?

Were any company like Netflix wanting to DRM the crap out of every point of access, do you think it would be a good idea to do it slowly, on one platform at a time, or all at once? The former would cause outcry for sure, but like many other examples of DRM, slow roll-out tends to lull customer bases into complacency. Ex. HDCP; back in 2000, we kind of whined about it, but not that much, and through each iteration we now find ourselves with the hideous v2.2 locking down every piece of the chain; how do you think we would have reacted if they introduced 2.2 back in 2000?
 
faugusztin said:
The reason stuff gets blocked on rooted devices is that it is not the walled garden anymore. While you may have legitimate reason for rooting, from media providers side it is a untrusted device - you could also have for examnple something grabbing the video frames of the video. Thus, it won't play media, or even refuse to install.
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Stock Android = walled garden? BAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHA

Yeah sure if by walled garden you mean screen door.

There is a simple solution to the problem, download from usenet instead. Problem solved.

When will companies learn that DRM doesn't stop piracy, it just pushes people further away.
 
aokman said:
Stock Android = walled garden? BAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHA

Yeah sure if by walled garden you mean screen door.

There is a simple solution to the problem, download from usenet instead. Problem solved.

When will companies learn that DRM doesn't stop piracy, it just pushes people further away.
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When will you people learn stuff isn't there just for your taking and actually has ip rights?
 
GoldenTiger said:
When will you people learn stuff isn't there just for your taking and actually has ip rights?
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Did I say I did it? I am just pointing out that putting extra steps in place or making it harder for consumers to access content legitimately will just push people away towards easier methods which is usually piracy...
 
Hmmm. Two thoughts come to mind:
1) What does "unlocked" have to do with DRM? Ah, they must mean bootloader unlock, not carrier unlock. I wonder how they go about determining that?
2) It seems to me that the same people who are willing/able to root their phones are the same people who are willing/able to sideload apps, and are closely tied to developers who are willing/able to circumvent these types of checks.
 
Mohonri said:
Hmmm. Two thoughts come to mind:
1) What does "unlocked" have to do with DRM? Ah, they must mean bootloader unlock, not carrier unlock. I wonder how they go about determining that?
2) It seems to me that the same people who are willing/able to root their phones are the same people who are willing/able to sideload apps, and are closely tied to developers who are willing/able to circumvent these types of checks.
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the article says they use safety net which will fail if the boot partition is modified in anyway when you unlock the bootloader it also flags some bits it probably looks at that too... But from what it sounds like the app itself does not do the checks it relies on google play.apk to check the device for them... Ill tell you this it has long since been hacked the only thing you need to do to bypass it is sideload and if this is seriously a vector for piracy they have bigger worries than if a phone or tablet being rooted this smells like netflix got pressured by google to ok this feature as all it is going to do is nothing anyone able to root the phone will bypass the checks anyone who pirated off netflix uses a full computer on a wired connection not a phone.
 
So vendors now believe that it is not okay for users to have admin rights to their own hardwares. Admin rights => no legit apps, got it.
 
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