Imagine! Rooting an android phone is now a crime. First, Netflix blocked devices that are rooted from accessing the videos on the site and now Google is about doing same. Anyway, we all know how important rooting was some years back but right now those features that pushed us into rooting are now included in latest Android versions so virtually all the new phones released now comes with interesting capabilities. Meaning, there is no more urgent need for giving your device root access.
Well, Google’s latest update to the Google Play Console, as updated during Google IO 2017, if your Android device is rooted, or an emulator, has an unlocked bootloader, or half a dozen other similar, related elements – it will automatically fail the integrity test.
This new update includes a Safety Net toggle. This toggle is one of many which give developers a very simple way of allowing some features to be compatible with the apps they make, and others to be kicked from the pack.
As Google suggests in their Android Developers Documentation, “SafetyNet provides a set of services and APIs that help protect your app against security threats, including device tampering, bad URLs, potentially harmful apps, and fake users.”
Safety Net Attestation checks for the following Device Status markers:
1. Certified, genuine device that passes CTS
2. Certified device with unlocked bootloader
3. Genuine but un-certified device, such as when the manufacturer doesn’t apply for certification
4. Device with custom ROM (not rooted)
5. Emulator
6. No device (protocol emulator script)
7. Signs of system integrity compromise, such as rooting
8. Signs of other active attacks, such as API hooking
The bad news is if your device is rooted, you won’t be able to access some major apps from the playstore but there is a way out.
WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?
You can always download apps from third party site and sideload it to your device. But make sure you download from trusted sites in order not to get virus or malware on your device.
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