Play Integrity Verification Failed

Teracube 2e
#1

Just received a replacement phone under warranty. Previous phone was running Android 14 (official) and ChatGPT app without any issue.

When I installed ChatGPT on this new phone, it refuses to run, and provides the error message: Play Integrity Verification Failed.

A quick search reveals that this verification indicates something about the hardware that is not authentic.

Please advise. Do I need to return the phone, or is the error message in error, and if so, how do I get ChatGPT to run on this phone?

#2

Per the team, they’re aware that Teracube’s current implementation of Android 14 does not pass Play Integrity. If you need this to work, it’s recommended to use Android 13 for now, but they’re working on getting it certified properly again.

#3

Thanks for the quick response. Ideally, this info would have been prominently featured in the thread announcing the release of Android 14, so users could hold off on the upgrade from 13 to 14. It’s quite a hassle to have to downgrade from 14 to 13, much easier to simply hold off on 14 until extremely popular apps such as ChatGPT function properly on it.

#4

At the time of build and publish (and for a while thereafter) our Android 14.x build was Play Integrity certified.

That status was later pulled by Google without notification.

You are correct, however, that the post needs to address that now until such time as it changes again. Thanks for bringing that point up!

#5

Thank you for the further information. Since your user base is obviously a bit more tech-curious and security-conscious than the average Samsung user, would you mind explaining to us from your point of view: what exactly is the function and purpose of “play integrity verification”? Why is it important or not important that a device passes this check? Was there a specific reason the 14.x build was de-certified, and are there any use cases where this now presents a security risk to the end user? Are there certain apps or activities we should be avoiding until the play integrity verification is fixed?
In other words, aside from the initial “issue” cited which is that ChatGPT won’t work, the concern would be there might be other things that won’t be immediately obvious to the user, if you could provide some additional info to help us make a judgment as whether it is worth our time to downgrade to a version 13 build that would be greatly appreciated.

#6

When Play Integrity fails, you can’t install ChatGPT, Redbox, Another Eden, or some other apps, mostly financial or banking apps. As well, tap to pay for Google Wallet stops working, which is usually where most people notice the issue.
It used to be Google’s way of saying that they fully trust the OS fingerprint provided by the company hasn’t been tampered. They’ve wavered in that as they try to battle against people rooting their phones as they seemingly randomly ban certain keywords in builds or invalidate previously allowed versions. It’s not that the OS version is necessarily actually problematic, sometimes it’s just that Google has said that your build is now considered naughty and you need to change it. :confused:
It’s a bit of whack a mole for both sides.

#7

Ultimately, I’d say the question comes down to whether tap to pay, ChatGPT, and other PIV-locked things are current NEED things for now. If so and it were my phone, then I’d roll back to Android 13 so that my needs are met. If they’re in the nice to have - can use the website even if it’s a bit less convenient or sideload the app or otherwise work around being uncertified - category instead, then I’d probably sit and coast for a while.
Just how I’d do it though. Ultimately, only you can decide whether the downgrade and reconfiguration is worthwhile to you.

#8

Yes its known. Its also an issue with Android 13. We are working on certifying newer Android release. Google now wants certification time frame within same year to pass hardware integrity & we still pass device integrity. Newer apps probably are enforcing hardware integrity. You can use ChatGPT web it offers same features for the time being.

1 Like
#9

The only issue I’ve encountered is ChatGPT not working. Do you know if sideloading this app would make it work? And if so, which architecture variant would be compatible with the Teracube 2e that is available on APKmirror?

#10

While it’s possible that using an older version of the app might work, there’s no guarantees there. My comment about sideloading was mostly regarding apps like Redbox and Another Eden which are marked as unavailable for your device in the Play Store while the device is uncertified.
Another option would be using Hermit ( Hermit — Lite Apps Browser – Apps on Google Play) or some similar app to bundle the web version as a lite app. If you do like Hermit, want the premium for multiple sandboxes, and they’re nice not need, the premium unlocker does go on sale for half price fairly often.