PSA: FYI Android users, Bootloader unlock will cause SafetyNet to fail.

Skripka

Skripka

[H]F Junkie
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Feb 5, 2012
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For you all out there who like to mess with your phones...Google has changed SafetyNet. Now simply unlocking your bootloader is enough to cause failure to validate your device. This results in breakage of:

-Android Pay, ofc.
-Games like PokemonGo that use SafetyNet.
-Your corporate email account, if they use SafetyNet.
-SnapChat too evidently.

Send all middle-finger-based gestures to Google.
 
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Surprised it took so long for Google to do this. If your bootloader is unlocked, SafetyNet can be compromised with relative ease. If Google is serious about eliminating exploits that silently unlock the loader and then burrow into the filesystem, this is a natural step. It's a bummer that it makes it so difficult for developers, but if you have an unlocked bootloader anyway, you should be able to build your own ROM with custom SafetyNet.

Really the worst loss here is that you won't be able to use Android Pay on your development device anymore, which sucks for anyone using their dev phone as a daily driver.
 
Do you want security or do you want usability/flexibility? Regardless of platform, system or OS, you can't have both.
 
I don't get why this is a surprise to anybody. We knew this was coming. Hell Chainfire even said as much when he released suhide. Hiding root: a losing game - rant du jour - Post #2

Bottom line is the writing has been on the wall for awhile. Every new Android version makes it harder to root. OEMs are locking down hard. This was the only logical conclusion and honestly I don't really give a shit.

That said there still is a chance this is just a bug. Some of the new comments on the reddit thread said they waited, rebooted their device, and everything was back to normal.
 
CEpeep said:
Surprised it took so long for Google to do this. If your bootloader is unlocked, SafetyNet can be compromised with relative ease. If Google is serious about eliminating exploits that silently unlock the loader and then burrow into the filesystem, this is a natural step. It's a bummer that it makes it so difficult for developers, but if you have an unlocked bootloader anyway, you should be able to build your own ROM with custom SafetyNet.

Really the worst loss here is that you won't be able to use Android Pay on your development device anymore, which sucks for anyone using their dev phone as a daily driver.
Click to expand...

Actually no...the worst loss is your ability to access your corporate email. As said in OP.
 
Skripka said:
Actually no...the worst loss is your ability to access your corporate email. As said in OP.
Click to expand...

Roll your own ROM and you can get around it. The only restriction you will not be able to get around at this time is the loss of Android Pay since it cannot be used without a Google-signed SafetyNet.
 
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