Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro gets feature to restore Widevine L1 that broke following MIUI 12.5 update; other devices to get it too?

Widevine certification has been a particular cause of concern for users of not just Xiaomi devices but also of OnePlus, Oppo, and Vivo devices and quite possibly others too.

At the Xiaomi and Poco camp, complaints about downgrades to Widevine L3 following random updates have been circulating for over a year now.

And it’s not that Xiaomi and Poco are oblivious to such issues. The companies keep issuing acknowledgments for lost Widevine certifications and keep patching it up with bug-fixing updates, or at least try to.

For example, Widevine L1 issues on the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite were said to be fixed through a bug-fixing update, and the same problem on the Poco X2, Poco F1, Poco X3 Pro, and Poco M2 Pro recently received an official acknowledgment.

Point is, the whole thing is an endless process that Xiaomi just cannot seem to be able to address once and for all.

And as if the existing set of affected devices weren’t enough, a new contender has now joined the Widevine debacle – the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro.

Following the recently released MIUI 12.5 update, there have been several complaints doing rounds on social media about lost Widevine L1 certification on the device, due to which users are only able to stream at a measly 480p resolution.

So when my Redmi Note 10 Pro was on MIUI 12.0.6, Netflix showed Widevine L1 support with HDR 10. After that on MIUI 12.0.10 it was not present. Hoping it would get fixed in 12.5 I updated but it’s still L3. Is Widevine L1 completely removed in Note 10 Pro Max?
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Thankfully, Xiaomi this time has actually offered a decent solution. The fix comes in the form of a feature that can be accessed via Settings > Passwords & security > Fingerprint unlock > Fingerprint payments > Widevine (L1).

Therein is an option that allows you to manually download or update the Widevine L1 certification for the device. This has been officially said to restore lost certification and is hence definitely worth a shot.

So it’s pretty clear that Widevine L1 is something that can be restored without the need for any software updates. But why is Xiaomi/Poco holding back with the release of such a feature on other models?

We checked for the same Widevine L1 restoration option on the Xiaomi Mi 11X, but found it to be missing under the Fingerprint payments menu, indicating that not all devices are being treated equally.

Perhaps, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of the first devices to bag it and it will be with time be rolled out for others as well through future updates. But that only remains speculation at this point.

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