Fix Google Pixel Widevine L1 Downgraded to L3

In this guide, we will show you the steps to fix the issue of the Google Pixel device’s Widevine L1 Certification being downgraded to L3. Nowadays, most Android devices come with the WideVine L1 certificate. The benefit of it, in simpler terms, is that you would be able to stream content in Full HD quality (highest possible resolution) across all the apps that support this Digital Rights Management.

These include the likes of Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu. This certification level only degrades when someone makes system-level changes. For example, when you unlock the device’s bootloader or root it, then Level 1 will downgrade to Level 2 or Level 3. When that happens, you wouldn’t be able to stream content in HD. Rather, 540p in L2 or 480p in L3 would be the maximum possible resolutions.

So why are we discussing all this here? Well, this is because various Pixel device owners have voiced their concerns that the Widevine level has dropped from L1 to L3 on their devices. All this has happened on stock firmware, with the bootloader still locked and the device in a non-rooted state. The issue first came to light around February of this year, and while Google is aware of this issue, an official fix is yet to be released.

They recently rolled out the August update, but that didn’t address this issue either. Fortunately, there does exist a workaround that seems to have spelled out success for many users. And this guide shall make you aware of just that. So without further ado, let’s check out the steps to fix the issue of the Google Pixel device’s Widevine L1 Certification being downgraded to L3.

Fix Google Pixel Widevine Certification Downgraded from L1 to L3

1. To begin with, head over to Play Store and tap on your avatar situated at the top right.
2. Then select Settings and tap on the Authentication section to expand it.
3. Now disable the Biometric Authentication toggle and then re-enable it.
   
4. Once that is done, you will have to delete the data of Play Store and Netflix. For that, long press on their app icon and select App Info (or access it via Settings > Apps and Notifications > See All xxx Apps > Select the desired app from the list).
5. Then go to their Storage and Cache section and tap on Clear Storage. Click OK in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
   
6. If you use any third-party app to check the DRM status on your device (such as the DRM Info app), then please delete its data as well.
7. Finally, open the Play Store and sign in to your Google account. Now check the certification status and hopefully, you would have got Widevine L1.

So this was all from this guide on how you could fix the issue of the Google Pixel device’s Widevine L1 Certification being downgraded to L3. Do keep in mind that this is just a workaround that has given a varying degree of success. As and when Google releases the official fix for the same (which would be via an OTA update), we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, this tweak is your best route forward. On that note, do let us know in the comments section whether it worked out for you or not.

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