Chrome DRM Playback Issue: Hardware CDM Access on Samsung Device

Hi, many of our audience (using Samsung phones and tablets) reported that they can’t play our DRM videos. Our videos have Winevine security level HW_SECURE_CRYPTO for both video and audio. They can be played on many Android devices (from Anroid 12 above), on iOS (using Safari) and Windows (using Edge).

Device Details:

· Model: Galaxy A02 (Android 11), Galaxy note 20 ultra (Android 12, 13)

· Chrome Version: newest update

· Widevine Level: L1 supported (verified via DRM Info app)

Issue: When attempting to play DRM-protected content in Chrome/Brave with hardware CDM requirement (security level HW_SECURE_CRYPTO), playback fails. However, the same content plays successfully on other Android devices (e.g., Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, Android 12) in Chrome browser.

Technical Context:

· Content uses Axinom DRM with Widevine

· DRM policy requires hardware CDM (HW_SECURE_CRYPTO)

· Device supports Widevine L1, but browser appears unable to access hardware CDM capabilities

· Same content plays correctly in Chrome on other Android devices

Questions:

  1. Is this a known limitation for Samsung devices where browsers cannot access hardware CDM?

  2. Are there specific configurations needed to enable hardware CDM access for browsers?

  3. Is this behavior by design for security reasons?

Any insights from developers who have dealt with DRM implementation on Samsung devices would be greatly appreciated.

Hello,
Could you please share the reproduction path with us, so that we can test? Thank you!