If you have an unlocked and rooted Android device, you will not be able to get the updated Netflix 5.0 Android app from Play Store. The message “Your device isn’t compatible with this version” will display instead. The reason for this is that Google’s Widevine DRM (digital rights management) technology is now integrated with the Netflix app, so it won’t work on such devices.
The statement from Netflix:
“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.”
WideVine basically does a triage on your device and categorizes it as one of three states, which then decides whether or not your device is capable of running a particular app. In this particular case, the Netflix app is deemed non-compatible on Android devices that are unlocked and rooted.
Strangely, the app itself works normally once you actually get it on the device, and it is only the Play Store listing that is blocked. That means users with unlocked and rooted Android devices can still get the latest Netflix 5.0.4 app as an APK and sideload or download it, and then proceed to use it as normal.
While that loophole is still open, users can get Netflix on APKMirror and install it on their devices whether or not they’re unlocked and have been rooted.
It looks like Google and Apple are both tightening up their OS ecosystems. On the Android side, Google is trying hard to block devices from getting apps from its Play Store, while Apple is slowly choking off the jailbreaking community by implementing tougher and tougher security protocols on its iOS devices.
We are officially back in the 1960s, and “The Man” is trying to exert authority over device users! Thankfully, jailbreaking, sideloading, rooting, unlocking and other methods are still alive and well. At least, for now. Who knows what nasty surprises iOS 11 and Android O might bring later this year.
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Source: Android Police
