The bad news: There have been numerous complaints from users of the new ASUS ROG Phone 3 when it comes to playing HD content in apps like Netflix. The good news: ASUS says they will be able to fix this issue. The other bad news: You’ll have to send in your phone to them so they can fix them by reflashing the device with the correct firmware. It’s a bit of a hassle for users of course, especially if that’s the only smartphone you’re using.
There have been a substantial number of reports over at ASUS’s ZenTalk forums with users complaining that they are having problems playing HD content on their ROG Phone 3. This means that when watching HD content on apps like Netflix, you are relegated to standard definition playback. While it’s not a major issue, it can be annoying for those who are used to watching a certain video quality even on their mobile device.
The problem seems to be stemming from Android’s Widevine DRM system, with users losing the Widevine L1 status of their smartphone and being relegated back to L3. Android Police says that’s the lowest security level that devices can implement on the software without having any hardware-backed elements. This means users are unable to play HD content that require a higher security status. Some say a new update is to blame while others have had it even before the update.
ASUS says they have reached out to those who have been affected and have been complaining on the forums through Direct Messaging. However, the instruction to them is to bring their smartphone to service centers so the correct firmware will be reflashed onto it. There have also been some complaints that the problem remains even after they have completed the instructions emailed to them.
Some Zenfone 7 Pro owners have also been complaining of a similar issue but the cases are few and far between. OnePlus also had a similar issue which was fixed through a firmware update. Which begs the question why ASUS cannot do the same.
