Using Google Play Movies on a Rooted Phone: Temp Root Remover

The problem

When Google Videos was updated into Google Play Movies, owners of rooted phones found they could not use the service. The same applied to apps from Blockbuster.

How the workaround worked

The app renamed the SU binary, the file that grants root access. With that file renamed, the phone no longer looked rooted, and the movie apps worked. Root stayed off until the file was renamed back inside the same app, so the change could be undone with a tap.

Limits and caveats

• The author warned that Google might remove the tool from the store to protect its movies app, so availability was uncertain.
• Support for Ice Cream Sandwich had reportedly been removed for troubleshooting reasons, though people could still try it.

Risks of rooting and root tools

Rooting a phone weakens its security model and can break services, as this story shows. Tools that change system files can cause problems, and this page does not link to or provide any of them. If you want to stream video, a phone without root is the simplest route.

Status today

This is a historical item. The phones and Android versions involved are long obsolete.