Unlocking the OnePlus 7 Pro’s bootloader will downgrade your Netflix stream quality

There are plenty of reasons why you should root your Android smartphones, and there are also plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t. If you were thinking of maybe unlocking the bootloader of your brand new OnePlus 7 Pro in anticipation of rooting it, you might want to think twice, especially if you watch a lot of Netflix.

This is because according to forum posts made on XDA Developers, it appears that unlocking the bootloader of your OnePlus 7 Pro will result in you losing access to Widevine L1. For those who are unfamiliar, Widevine is a DRM component of Android. This helps to protect copyrighted content on our devices, such as videos on Netflix.

By unlocking the bootloader, users will lose access to Widevine L1 which means that instead of HD streams, all your Netflix streams will only be in 480p quality. This is done to protect intellectual property, such as users who might want to rip content from Netflix and share it on piracy websites.

Considering that the phone has a 1440p display, downgrading to 480p will definitely be noticeable. Granted, 720p isn’t exactly what we had hoped for either, but it is better than watching videos in 480p. For those who don’t watch or stream Netflix, we suppose that this won’t be a problem, but for those who do, it might be worth thinking twice before you proceed.

Source: Android Police