Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
The OnePlus 5T doesn't support HD streaming from popular services
- The OnePlus 5T and 5 currently are not able to stream HD content from Google Play Movies, Netflix, or Amazon Video.
- OnePlus says a fix is on its way, though we don’t know when the issue will be resolved.
Here’s something interesting: it seems OnePlus’ latest “flagship killer” is unable to stream video in HD from popular streaming services.
This was pointed out recently by a OnePlus forum user by the name of whatthefunk. Apparently, the OnePlus 5T is lacking the required certification to stream DRM-protected content in high definition. The certification in question is related to the Widevine protections that many popular streaming services use. The OnePlus 5T only supports the level 3 Widevine certification, as opposed to level 1, which is required for protected HD content. The lack of support affects apps such as Google Play Movies, Netflix, and Amazon Video. As noted in the original post, YouTube is not affected by this.
This compromise is unfortunate for a $500 device, as you’d expect a flagship to support a basic feature such as this. That’s especially true given its beefy hardware and Full HD display.
Unfortunately this surprising limitation also affects its predecessor, the OnePlus 5.
There is a bit of good news, however. According to The Verge, a representative of OnePlus says this issue will be fixed in a future software update. We unfortunately don’t know when this update will be released to users. It’s quite confusing as to why this wasn’t included with the phone in the first place, especially since the Widevine website says that “Google does not assess license fees for the Widevine product.” It wouldn’t have cost anything to include it.
Hopefully we’ll have more to share when the update drops for the 5 and 5T.