Netflix Chrome end of support 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14

[sdfox7]

Initially posted in the El Capitan forum yesterday, but after discovering the issue is even broader, putting it here too.

Netflix no longer works in Chrome on El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave due to a change in the WideVine implementation.

You must use another supported browser such as Firefox 115 on Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave to use Netflix. I'm not aware of any browsers for El Capitan that would work (Chromium Legacy does not).

Silverlight was deprecated last year and no longer works, either.

 

[aj_niner]

Latest release

- OS_X_El_Capitan: 10.11.6 (15G22010) / July 9, 2018; 5 years ago
- MacOS_Sierra: 10.12.6 (16G2136)[2] / September 26, 2019; 4 years ago
- MacOS_High_Sierra: 10.13.6 Security Update 2020-006[1] (17G14042) (November 12, 2020; 3 years ago)
- MacOS_Mojave: 10.14.6 Security Update 2021-005[2] (18G9323) (July 21, 2021; 2 years ago)

The Macs that cannot upgrade beyond those macOS versions are more than a dozen year's old.

Install 2015 Windows 10 if you want to run latest Chrome, Edge & Firefox.

Nearly 24 of 25 Mac users worldwide are on 2019 Catalina or newer. There is little reason to maintain the code or support so few users.

 

[sdfox7]

Latest release

- OS_X_El_Capitan: 10.11.6 (15G22010) / July 9, 2018; 5 years ago
- MacOS_Sierra: 10.12.6 (16G2136)[2] / September 26, 2019; 4 years ago
- MacOS_High_Sierra: 10.13.6 Security Update 2020-006[1] (17G14042) (November 12, 2020; 3 years ago)
- MacOS_Mojave: 10.14.6 Security Update 2021-005[2] (18G9323) (July 21, 2021; 2 years ago)

The Macs that cannot upgrade beyond those macOS versions are more than a dozen year's old.

Install 2015 Windows 10 if you want to run latest Chrome, Edge & Firefox.

Greater than 94.21% of Mac users worldwide are on 2019 Catalina or newer. There is little reason to maintain the code or support so few users.

True. That leaves "only" 6 million users running an unsupported operating system.

Big Tech makes me laugh. On one hand they greenwash, and on the other they obsolete things as fast as they can.

It's estimated that 240 million computers will be headed to the landfill next year when Windows 10 support ends.

Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 could send 240 mln PCs to landfills - report​

 

[AlastorKatriona]

True. That leaves "only" 6 million users running an unsupported operating system.

Big Tech makes me laugh. On one hand they greenwash, and on the other they obsolete things as fast as they can.

It's estimated that 240 million computers will be headed to the landfill next year when Windows 10 support ends.

Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 could send 240 mln PCs to landfills - report​

Right because people throw out computers just because the endless slew of software updates stops. Have you ever met people?

 

[aj_niner]

True. That leaves "only" 6 million users running an unsupported operating system.

Big Tech makes me laugh. On one hand they greenwash, and on the other they obsolete things as fast as they can.

It's estimated that 240 million computers will be headed to the landfill next year when Windows 10 support ends.

6 million users are 0.1% of the worldwide population.

We're in the year 2024. macOS provides ~10 years of support while Windows having 122 months of support.

2015 Windows 10 can run on all Intel Macs. From the 2006 to 2020 releases.

2019 Catalina is supported by 2012 & newer Intel Macs.

So that leaves 2006 to 2011 Macs that are unsupported because there are that few users who care about Security Updates worldwide.

Unsupported OS does not mean it ceases functioning. It just means companies are not interested in doing business with them further.

Doing any business with them is at a loss.

Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 could send 240 mln PCs to landfills - report​

Only dummies throw those devices away. The smart ones sell em for recyclables or to a poor nation.

 

[sdfox7]

6 million users are 0.1% of the worldwide population.

We're in the year 2024. macOS provides ~10 years of support while Windows having 122 months of support.

2015 Windows 10 can run on all Intel Macs. From the 2006 to 2020 releases.

2019 Catalina is supported by 2012 & newer Intel Macs.

So that leaves 2006 to 2011 Macs that are unsupported because there are that few users who care about Security Updates worldwide.

Unsupported OS does not mean it ceases functioning. It just means companies are not interested in doing business with them further.

Doing any business with them is at a loss.

Only dummies throw those devices away. The smart ones sell em for recyclables or to a poor nation.

Catalina (and Big Sur) are no longer supported by Apple. Monterey gets the axe this fall. So unless your Mac is <5 years old, you don't get updates.

Apple wants you to throw out everything 2018 and older INTEL. Wasteful.

 

[aj_niner]

Catalina (and Big Sur) are no longer supported by Apple. Monterey gets the axe this fall. So unless your Mac is <5 years old, you don't get updates.

Apple wants you to throw out everything 2018 and older INTEL. Wasteful.

Catalina & newer are part of the nearly 24 of 25 Mac users that I was talking about.

They also have browsers that support Netflix.

Since 2023 Sonoma, Apple has shortened macOS Security Updates from 10 years to 8 years.

Consumers replace their Macs every 4 years and PC users every 5-6 years.

Don't get mad at Big Tech... consumers want to recycle or sell their old tech.

If a 2023 iMac 32" 6K M3 came out last Halloween with a next gen 32" 6K display then I'd have replaced my 11yo iMac.

Why? Because it's more than a decade old. Most Mac users buy their computer for what makes a Mac a Mac.

The 6 million Mac users who are on 2011 or older Macs dont give a rat's ass about supported macOS. If they did then they'd replace.

 

[startergo]

Widevine can be added to chromium:

DRM

Latest Chromium (≒Chrome Canary/Stable) for Mac OS X 10.7+ - blueboxd/chromium-legacy

github.com

 

[sdfox7]

Widevine can be added to chromium:

DRM

Latest Chromium (≒Chrome Canary/Stable) for Mac OS X 10.7+ - blueboxd/chromium-legacy

github.com

I've already tried that before. Even with Chromium Legacy and the WideVine updates it doesn't work. Do you have a screenshot of it working?

 

[sdfox7]

Specifically, this is the problem. Protected content is already enabled, but it doesn't work.

 

[startergo]

What macOS are you testing it on?

 

[sdfox7]

What macOS are you testing it on?

HS 10.13

 

[startergo]

After updating all components in chromium in Mavericks and EC it is not even letting me in the account:

Incorrect password for:
******************
You can use a sign-in code, reset your password or try again.

 

[startergo]

I can confirm it DOES NOT work in Catalina, but funny enough:

 

[sdfox7]

What's odd is that Netflix works perfectly on Windows 7 with Chrome 109. Maybe because the install base is still so large.

Note: I am using the "Suppress Unsupported OS" registry patch which is why it says the browser is "managed". Otherwise there is a silly toolbar that pops up every single time you launch the browser. Yes Google, my browser is unsupported and I don't care. LOL.

https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/#SuppressUnsupportedOSWarning

 

[sdfox7]

Success with the standard version of Chrome. Not working in Chromium Legacy (yet).

Go to Applications folder, right click on Google Chrome --> Show package contents
Expand Contents dropdown--> Expand Frameworks dropdown
Double-click on or Expand Versions
Expand Libraries click on and delete the WidevineCDM folder

Empty the trash. Then relaunch Chrome. If you want to be sure, go to chrome://components and click on the update button next to Widevine. Then reopen Netflix.

It shouldn't be this difficult...but people have to make things difficult sometimes.

 

[sdfox7]

(Working on High Sierra with Chrome 116. Not working on El Capitan with Chrome 103. Attempting to update the component in chrome://components doesn't do anything)

 

[startergo]

Netflix either has to change the statement for the supported browsers or fix this. Has someone contacted Netflix yet?

 

[startergo]

Chrome Version 121.0.6167.139 works in Catalina.

 

[aj_niner]

Netflix either has to change the statement for the supported browsers or fix this. Has someone contacted Netflix yet?

I think no one has bothered to do so as not enough users are out there encountering this.

I'd be surprised that browsers abandoned years ago have users who can pay for streaming services.

 

[startergo]

It looks like Vivaldi had that issue last year and they fixed it. But the browser supports 10.15+ of macOS, so forget about the earlier versions (officially).

Minor update (4) for Vivaldi macOS Desktop Browser 6.0

This update fixes issues with video and audio sites that use Digital Rights Management (DRM), such as Netflix and Disney+, for users on macOS. Only the macOS packages have been upgraded.

vivaldi.com

 

[startergo]

ChromeOS Long-term Support (LTS) release notes​

Last updated on: January 11, 2024

ChromeOS LTS 120 feature summary (Chrome 115 - Chrome 120)​

117: Chrome no longer supports macOS 10.13 and macOS 10.14

ChromeOS Long-term Support (LTS) release notes - Chrome Enterprise and Education Help

Last updated on: April 4, 2024For administrators who manage Chrome browser or ChromeOS devices for a business or school. The long-term support channel (LTS) has a slower release cadence th

support.google.com

 

[startergo]

Success with the standard version of Chrome. Not working in Chromium Legacy (yet).

Go to Applications folder, right click on Google Chrome --> Show package contents
Expand Contents dropdown--> Expand Frameworks dropdown
Double-click on or Expand Versions
Expand Libraries click on and delete the WidevineCDM folder

Empty the trash. Then relaunch Chrome. If you want to be sure, go to chrome://components and click on the update button next to Widevine. Then reopen Netflix.

It shouldn't be this difficult...but people have to make things difficult sometimes.

View attachment 2344286

I can confirm it works after deleting the widevine folder. This is weird as it is a requirement for the DRM. Unless it uses HTML5 instead without it.

 

[startergo]

Upon checking the Chrome components Widevine is still there even though the folder is deleted. Go figure...

It turns out Widevine folder is somewhere else:

I copied the folder to the Chromium subfolder, but Netflix did not work:

 

[sdfox7]

(truncated)

I copied the folder to the Chromium subfolder, but Netflix did not work:
View attachment 2344752

Correct, that's what I wrote in my response above. Working in standard Chrome, but not Chromium.