Pixel Widevine bug: latest Android 12L update restores Widevine security to L1
Google has been testing the Android 12L for months, while the Android 13 developer preview has also been released. That raised eyebrows as to whether the new upgrade will affect the development and release of Android 13, but it doesn’t seem like it. According to Google, Android 12L is a one-off, but it doesn’t mean that will not happen again. Basically, the Android 12L is a point upgrade, tweaked for large screen displays – foldable and Tablet. However, the update has reached a stable version and is coming to Pixel users as the March Feature Drop. It seems to have addressed the Pixel Widevine bug.
Pixel users reported the Widevine L1 bug on their phones in February 2021. Supposedly, the bug has pushed down their Widevine security level from L1 to L3, meaning they couldn’t playback content in HD quality on Netflix, Hulu, Disney, HBO, and others. The Widevine DRM is Google’s content protection system for premium media. There are three levels of Widevine security: L1, L2, L3, but only the L1 supports video playback in HD quality.
In context, Google Pixel owners for a year have been restricted to streaming content on 480p. Although Google promised a fix when the Pixel Widevine bug was first reported, it didn’t come until recently. According to reports, the latest Android 12L update has restored Widevine security to L1.
That seems like it. According to our source, the current Android 12L March Feature Drop update comes with a fix for the Widevine bug for Pixel users. However, we understand that even after upgrading to the latest build, some people still have their security level on L3. If that’s the case, you might have to factory reset your device as that seems to work.
Meanwhile, before proceeding with a factory reset, we recommend checking Widevine status. You can use the DRM info app on PlayStore or Netflix’s Widevine info checker.
