Google pulls the March Android security patch for the Nexus 6
Google has recently started to seed the March Android security patch to Nexus and Pixel devices, but it seems that not everything is kosher. According to an array of Nexus 6 owners, the latest security patch breaks the Safetynet API, as well as Android Pay.
https://twitter.com/googlenexus/status/839941994868846593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
For those unaware, SafetyNet is an API which helps Google to check to see if your bootloader has been unlocked or if you have a custom ROM installed. Due to this API being broken, Android Pay now assumes that your device is rooted and therefore has blocked the services.
Google has been made aware of the issues and has pulled the update altogether. The company has also stated that it is “investigating” the problem, so hopefully Nexus 6 owners will see a fix sooner rather than later.
It’s a little bit sloppy for Google to push a security patch with such a large issue, but that’s what happens when a device as old as the Nexus 6 is supported. Just because the patch works fine on newer devices, it doesn’t mean everything will be fine on the older ones.