Widevine issues are something every Android OEM has been dealing with on some of their devices lately, and Google is no exception. Many Pixel users previously complained about being unable to stream content from Netflix in resolutions higher than 540p, which certainly isn't ideal for today's 1080p and even 2K smartphone displays. It seemed that all devices on the Pixel 3 and above were largely affected.
Google then acknowledged the issue in April of this year, promising to work on a solution. However, it is now eight months later and there is still no sign of a fix. And new complaints continue to pour in.
For the uninitiated, Widevine issues cause video quality issues on streaming apps like Netflix. OEMs typically get their devices L1 certified, which allows them to play 1080p content. The Pixel phones were not exempt from this treatment, but for some users, Widevine certification was reduced to L3. L3 indicates that Netflix can only play in 540p resolution.
As a result, numerous complaints have surfaced, and one Redditor has even compiled a list of complaints from across the internet (via XDA Developers). While the list clearly includes reports dating back to early 2021, there are also some from as recently as 21 days ago, demonstrating that the problem never truly went away.
Eight months is a long time to fix a bug like this, and we're wondering if Google has quietly swept the entire thing under the rug. With software updates, the Google Pixel 3 is also nearing its end of life – all the more reason to fix the issue as soon as possible.
In any case, for the time being, we recommend that Google Pixel owners who are affected by the Widevine issue take the issue to the official Pixel Phone forums or Twitter to remind Google about it, just in case they forgot.
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