I want to use Magisk but don’t quite understand what it’s SafetyNet feature is or how it works. Answer:

Technically, SafetyNet is a Google feature and not one developed by Magisk. However, it is the feature that made Magisk a household name in the rooting community. Magisk has an option that allows you to turn off root access so you don’t trip Google’s SafetyNet.

Before Magisk, the most common way to get root access was with SuperSU. But Chainfire, the developer who originally created SuperSU, sold his rooting tools because the latest version of Android at the time had changed the way its security worked which changed apps like SuperSU forever. In particular, it had become clear that Android no longer wanted smartphones to have root access with certain apps installed on a device such as Google Pay. This is because when it comes to people’s finances, security is of the utmost importance, and Google prioritized its security over the convieience of simple root access with SuperSU.

Since SuperSU declined in popularity, a new rooting method has come about, namely Magisk, which has a built-in feature that allows you to toggle root access on and off to bypass Google’s SafetyNet. Its purpose is to satisfy Google when you want to use Google Pay and other financial apps while then being able to grant root access when you’re done with your finances. The way Magisk achieves that is by giving you an option to toggle superuser access on and off at the tap of a button. So when you don’t want root access, simply toggle it off from Magisk’s settings and you will not trip Google’s SafetyNet feature.