Everybody's all in a tizzy over the new Chrome for Android browser -- and rightfully so. It's likely the future of default browsing on Android going forward. But, guess what: It doesn't support Adobe Flash Player.
And that should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Adobe in November announced that Flash Player would be taken off life support, insofar as mobile browsing is concerned, and that the company would focus on AIR instead for cross-platform applications. And, so, Adobe Flash Player isn't supported in the new Chrome mobile browser. And that's a good thing. It's time we all -- from end-users to developers to OS-makers -- start weening ourselves off Flash for browsing
And Adobe said exactly as much in a blog post today.
Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content. Flash Player continues to be supported within the current Android browser.
Makes perfect sense, folks. If your favorite website's not yet moving toward HTML5, it's time to warm up your e-mail-writing fingers.
Source: Adobe
Reader comments
New browser (Chrome) doesn't support dying plug-in (Flash)
Wow! Really no more flash! Wow I'm glad that's the only thing I needed from this company. Now there's no reason to ever go to adobe website. Now we the people can sue adobe for using flash on computers. No wonder you can't use facebook on the phone or computers anymore. I'm glad I never needed a pdf reader, I uninstalled chrome after I bought my phone. And I just uninstalled all adobe products from my computer. It's time thata new leader take over and wipe adobe off the internet. Adobe has just lost hundreds of customers.
Oh for the love of... don't go justifying the lack for the OPTION of Flash with "well, it's a dying tech anyway". That's what Apple did, and it frustrated a ton of users then too. I understand Adobe is no longer officially supporting mobile, but licensees still can, and there's nothing stopping Google from becoming a licensee just to continue to support it. The only emails I'll be writing are straight to Google asking why they don't do it themselves. After all, they receive ad hits in Flash applications as well.
I hate feeling handicapped, and not having the option to view a large portion of the internet does exactly that.
if no flash, no need to use android device.
i can replace my sensation xl with an i phone 5 in a few years after flash dies.
I think may folks are missing a point here. Everything is quickly headed mobile. If Adobe doesn't believe Flash is going to work on mobile then they are probably planning to phase it out for something else period. They might say they aren't but they don't have much of a choice. You'll eventually be able to view the same types of content in other formats and with Adobe giving up on Flash it will HAVE to come sooner than later.
This is a beta right? Nobody is making anyone download this lol.
Quitcherbitchin'
I just downloaded this to my GN and I love it! It is fast, slick, and the best part is I did not have to enter all my favorites into a new browser and bookmark them. I just syned to my computer and all my bookmarks, favorites, even folders came right over. There even named correctly. This took a total of 5 minutes in stead of hours. I really don't care about flash, it is going to be a dinosaur here soon, the future is HTML5. If I really need flash then I can go back to the stock browser at that time. I highly recommend getting this! especially if Goggle Chrome is your browser on your PC or laptop!!
Way to go Goggle!! keep this up and people will be saying Apple who?
Isn't the point that Adobe isn't even supporting flash anymore? If the company that makes and maintains it is removing support for it, we need to stop using it, don't we?
I dont think anyone at AC is "anti" flash - it's just that it's going away. We need to start migrating to something that's supported.
Or am I missing something?
How about this: lets keep support for it until it is "gone" instead of "going away". I think that is a much better idea. That way everyone is happy, right?
Also just in: The Berlin Wall falls!
Normally, I don't get all snarky- but really Phil? This is your opinion?? No flash support is a good thing? In a world when the #1 device to access the web could very well be mobile devices over actual computers... you would think mobile would be doing all it could to replicate the most robust experience. Instead the mobile experience has always been lacking in some form or another. The #1 gripe of iOS is lack of flash support- the #1 streaming method of video for many industries beyond porn (music industry comes to mind- instructional and performance videos for one) ALL USE FLASH. Heck the websites are so laden with it in that industry that on a non flash browser, you don't even get a title page.
Guess what? They're not going to change. These are often websites managed and hosted by 3rd parties- and it takes money to have them redone. The easy way is they just say "sorry- go to a desktop computer". Google should step up and lead the way here- keep up flash development for mobile (at least for the nexus devices) and then the OEMs may see the value in doing the same.
This additude of "Steve Jobs was right- HTML5 or bust" is only right if flash is dead across the board- desktops too- but that isn't the case... and possibly never will be... and as long as that doesn't change- the mobile experience will always be subpar- and this line of thinking that we're somehow better without flash on moblie... VERY flawed.
Yes, my predictive text is back
I'm not really happy with this sentiment of placing the onus on the end users to pressure large, established content sites to support HTML5. I don't have anything against HTML5 video, but out of all the sites I watch mobile browser video on, do you know how many support it? If you guessed zero, you're right!
Now yes, eventually it's going to get to a point where sites are either already switched or just aren't going to, and you can't maintain legacy support forever. But come on. Even the champions of HTML5 are barely starting to get their websites supporting it, and the HTML5 standard isn't even finalized yet.
If you as a browser maker don't want to support Flash that's your business, but don't you dare act like Flash is gasping its last and nobody ought to want it. Come back in a year or two and maybe I'll buy it, but not now. You are choosing to not support a plugin that is still used by the majority of video streaming sites across the internet, and denying your users access to that content through your product. Building the browser of the future, today is awesome, but building it as though Flash is dead is jumping the gun by quite a bit.
Exactly!! Hell at least the Iphone and Ipad solved the problem by loading the non flash version of sites. We get no flash for the flash version of sites WTH?
Android Central has had a bug up their butt about Flash for some time now. I really dont get why they are so anti-Flash...why is it a bad thing for us to have choices?
The article suggests that users to stop viewing Flash content by using a browser that does not support Flash in order to pressure websites into abandoning Flash. This is backwards. As long as Flash is relatively common in websites, I will use a browser that can view Flash content because I want to be able to view the web as it is today.
Is AC really telling me to reduce my ability to enjoy AC in the hopes that I will complain to AC about their site no longer being supported by the less powerful browser they told me to use?
I am fine with never using Flash, except, unlike the Iphone, Android defaults to the flash version of websites. On the Iphone and Ipad, websites detect the Apple products and use the non flash version of sites. If Flash is dying, it should not be at our expense where now we get flash content that won't work. This is BS.
By the way, I am a proud flash browsing Thunderbolt future Nexus owner.
screw it.. i still use flash and i will until i can no longer use it. i de-activate flash when on a normal website, but when i wanna watch streams, i flash it up... deal with it.
It is missing too many features, like no text wrap, no full screen, and no flash. Say what you will about flash, it's still widely used. Not to mention the battery-draining 70-100 MB background syncing service.
Weaning.
"weening ourselves off of Flash" means supposing ourselves off of Flash, which for all intents and purposes (not intensive purposes) makes some sense too.
I tried switching to Chrome, I did, b/c I LOVE most products that Google offers...but I don't mail in ANY bills. I do all online bill pay, and most websites only do IE and Firefox...I was pretty much forced to go back to firefox, who wants/needs more than one browser?
What is the downside of having more than one browser installed?
It uses up like 0.005% of your hard drive.
I use online bill pay too. Chrome works fine. Run away from any bank that requires a specific browser like your hair is on fire. Incompetence could end up costing you money.
AC and Mobile Nations should take acue from this also. Love watching the podcasts live. Well it's all in Flash! It's all well and good to tell others to go to HTML5, Now you guys need to lead the way. What holds it back?
Um...can a smartypants please explain to me why denying me access to Flash content is a good thing? How does it benefit me?
Usually it is iPhone people that are trying to explain to me why fewer options = better. It is weird hearing Android people try to make that argument.
HOLY SHIT! It is 50+ MB in size! Worse than Firefox ever was.
Edit! 93 MB running service! HELL NO! Uninstall!
I have a gig of RAM. 93MB? It is to laugh.
It's a running background service. RAM isn't the issue, battery is!
The size of the task does not indicate anything about battery use. Just because something is idling in the background doesn't mean its consuming any significant battery.
Ram is the issue. 93MB is almost 10% of a gig. That's significant in my book.
That being said, The STOCK browser has anywhere from 30mb to 70MB background process depending on the number of tabs you have open.
So 93MB doesn't seem that much for a BETA release.
I see you have been abusing your caps key and exclamation mark key about this on at least three different websites. Take a deep breath and simmer down:)
Don't forget it's a beta people..
it also doesn't support text wrap, or full screen.
I'm sorry, but I enjoy my FLASH, no not for porn! But for the simple fact it makes browsing the web on my Android device the same as if I were on my laptop! I can accept that HTML5 is the future, but it's still new & not widely supported & until it is, let us have the choice, is that not what Android is all about, choice?
That's weird cause I've been watching flash videos with the new chrome browser in my rooted galaxy nexus and it works great.
Yeah, & while you're at it, all of you should throw away your old CDs and DVDs because they're obsolete and new players shouldn't support them. You really ought to go out and buy electronic versions of everything you've already bought.
What!!???! You expect your equipment to support older technology until it's no longer widely used??? Quit yer whining!
... & to continue in a non-smart-assed fashion: About 90% of iOS-to-Android converts came here because Safari is a pain in the rear -- one of the main factors being it's inability to show Flash content. I ***BOUGHT*** an Android pad after winning a ***FREE*** iPad 2 & cursing it for a few months (and I'm not at all new to Apple products). I'm much happier now.
My kids do love playing games on the iPad though.
I'm actually reading this on the new chrome browser. It's pretty decent so far. I must say though that I'll miss flash to some degree and have to go back to the old browser for that. I often follow game casts for nba games right on nba.com using their pretty slick game cast flash site. Sure it could all be done in html5 but that doesn't mean they will anytime soon.
Yet another reason to avoid Chrome like the plague.
As if anyone with clue one about online security wasn't already.
lol....obvious troll is obvious......No Food For You!!!!
"If your favorite website's not yet moving toward HTML5, it's time to warm up your e-mail-writing fingers."
More like it's time to continue to use the supported browsers. Really only useful for porn anyway. Oh, Amazon Prime videos as well.
Well AC could start right here at home.
How bout it Phil? Why not take the pledge, swear the oath, and tell your advertisers you will not accept any Flash ads on your site beginning March 1 2012.
I see 4 Flash ads on this page. I never see less than two.
Its easy to suggest others write letters.
LOL! Owned.
Dear Android Central, I recently started using a browser that does not support Flash -- it is a dying technology, I would appreciate it if you would not use it on your site.
It is in your best interest to heed this request as you use Flash for ads and I will not see them, thus you will not receive credit when Android Central attempts to display them to me.
Thanks,
A Loyal Android Central Viewer
are you crazy, who wants to see ads anyway? having flash "on demand only" saves me from seeing this crap.
Yeah unless you use it to watch Bleach and Naruto (yeah I'm a Anime geek) on the go. It well be missed when I get rid of my EVO 4G. :-(