Google wants to ‘better protect’ Android users against the disadvantages of SafetyNet

Google wants to do more to protect Android users from the drawbacks of SafetyNet. That is the method of blocking apps on devices where users have root access. Netflix, among others, uses SafetyNet.

For example, Google gives an example that videos with DRM should be able to play if the hardware can also offer copy protection with root access, according to an ama session on Reddit from the Android O development team. If so, then there is no reason for an app to block users with root access, says Xiaowen Xin of Google.

SafetyNet is a topic of discussion, especially since Netflix is ​​no longer visible in the Play Store for devices with root access. The service still works on smartphones and tablets that already have the app on. It is the first time that Google has openly acknowledged that SafetyNet is causing inconvenience to avid Android users. Xin says Google wants to use SafetyNet to protect users who don’t know their security has been compromised.

In the ama session, Google also says that Android has been supporting screens with variable refresh rate for some time. The search giant has not previously disclosed this. Apple’s iPad Pro is the first product in Western markets to have a screen that can go up to 120Hz, but Sharp smartphones with a 120Hz screen already appeared on the Japanese market last year and that support is due to the release of the first 120Hz screen. smartphones in Japan in Google’s mobile operating system.