What is SafetyNet in Android?

SafetyNet has come upon the occasion of terminals launched without Huawei's Google services. Now, what is this SafetyNet and what is it for?

First, we will see what exactly this security test is and what it is used for, and then tell you how you can see if your mobile passes the test and what cases can cause a mobile to fail the test.

What is SafetyNet in Android?

Google defines SafetyNet as a service and API to prevent abuse. Application developers can use this API to determine if the connection to servers is genuine, from a genuine application and on a genuine device.

In other words, what it does is check the software and hardware of the device to verify that its integrity has not been compromised, comparing the current state with the reference data collected during the compatibility test ( CTS ).

This is not a DRM or strict anti-cheat system for games, but rather a system integrity check that compares that the system remains the same as when it passed the compatibility tests. These tests are made up of a multitude of small tests to detect incompatibilities and that cover area such as permissions or interaction between different APIs.

It is not a root detector either, although rooted devices will fail the test. This is because the results returned by SafetyNet are ambiguous and are limited to saying whether the test has passed or not, but not for what reason.

Regarding its use, SafetyNet is used by developers to check the overall safety of the system. It is these developers who must implement it in their applications and act accordingly.

For example, a bank's application may not work unless the device passes SafetyNet. In fact, it already happens with Google Pay. Other developers can directly choose not to show their apps on Google Play on devices that do not pass the test, as happens with Netflix.

How do I pass a safety net check?

The easiest way to check if your mobile passes the SafetyNet check is to install an app that does the check. There are several on Google Play that does the job, the most popular being the simple SafetyNet Test. 

The app literally has a single button, so all you have to do is tap on the Run test. The test in question takes a second and shows very clearly if it has been passed or not. Some additional details are listed at the bottom of the window.

How do I bypass Google SafetyNet?

Whether you want to play Pokémon Go every day or just check your bank balance on-the-go, you'll need to bypass SafetyNet if your phone is rooted. There is a way to bypass this tamper detection and safely use apps like Android Pay, PayPal, corporate security apps, or banking applications on a rooted Android device. In fact, there are multiple ways. And we're going to walk you through them today.

1. Boot your device into TWRP
2. Open the adb shell, and issue the following command:
3. echo "BINDSBIN=true">/data/.supersu
4. Now, use TWRP to reflash SuperSU v2.82 SR2 or later to your device
5. Reboot into Android once, and then boot your device into TWRP once more.
6. Now, flash suhide and reboot. You're done! Navigate to the suhide GUI in your app drawer to configure it in whichever way you wish.

What apps use SafetyNet?

Google’s SafetyNet services and APIs allow Android developers to ensure that they’re running on phones that haven’t been tampered with.

In practice that would prevent you from running some Android apps on phones that have been rooted. But Magisk, the most popular tool for rooting smartphones also includes a “hide” feature that can trick SafetyNet from noticing that your device has been rooted.

While that won’t stop all Android apps from running on rooted devices, many popular apps do rely on SafetyNet, including:

Netflix

Snapchat

Pokemon Go

Mario Run

Android Pay

Many banking apps