Google Play’s latest security change may break many Android apps for some power users

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s updated Play Integrity API is making it significantly harder for users with rooted phones or custom ROMs to access certain applications due to enhanced security verifications. The update, now rolling out by default as of May 2025, enforces stricter hardware-backed security signals for integrity verdicts on devices running Android 13 or later. While this change aims to protect apps from abuse, it negatively impacts legitimate power users and potentially those on older devices lacking recent security patches. Compared to the billions of regular Android users, the number of people who root their Android phones or install custom ROMs is minuscule. While I wouldn’t say Google is actively hostile towards these power users, the company’s efforts to strengthen Android app security have the unfortunate side effect of negatively impacting their experience. Google’s latest update to the Play Integrity API, for example, makes it easier for deve ... Read full article.