Netflix is currently blocking rooted devices from downloading its app on the Google Play store. This is supposedly a move to combat piracy, but it appears that the app itself still works on rooted devices.
The company provided a statement explaining the situation to AndroidPolice:
“With our latest 5.0 release, we now fully rely on the Widevine DRM provided by Google; therefore, many devices that are not Google-certified or have been altered will no longer work with our latest app and those users will no longer see the Netflix app in the Play Store.”
The current situation is that people on rooted phones and tablets are unable to download the app. Instead, seeing a message saying that the app is incompatible with their device.
However, the app works fine if it was already on the device before this block was implemented. It also means that it can be sideloaded through an APK and have no problems.
It’s an odd situation for Netflix to be in, and the company has not explained why it still works on blocked devices. Still, this could be the first step in a larger plan to continue blocking rooted phones.
[Source: AndroidPolice]
