At the last AndroidDevs Meetup, several developers from the ICQ messenger team spoke. My talk was about Android WebView. For everyone who could not come to the meeting, I publish here an article based on the speech. I will go to the top, in large strokes. I will not give deep technical details and a lot of code. If you are interested in the details, using the link at the end of the post, you can download an application specially written as an illustration, and see everything with examples.

Questions and answers

Question: There is a CrossWalk project - this is a third-party WebView implementation that allows you to use fresh Chrome on older devices. Do you have any experience, have you tried building it in?
Answer: I haven't tried it. At the moment, we support Android starting from the 14th version and no longer focus on older devices.

Question: How do you deal with artifacts that remain when rendering the WebView?
Answer: We do not fight with them, we tried - it didn’t work. This does not happen on all devices. We decided that this is not such an egregious problem as to spend more resources on it.

Question: Sometimes it is required to nest a WebView in a ScrollView. It's ugly, but sometimes required by assignment. This is not encouraged, even forbidden somewhere, and after that there are shortcomings in the work. But still, sometimes you have to do it. For example, if you draw a WebView on top, and below it draw some kind of native component (which must be native according to the requirement), and all this must be done as a single ScrollView. That is, at first the user would look at the entire page, and then, if he wanted, he would scroll down to these native components.
Answer: Unfortunately, I cannot answer you, because I have not encountered such a situation. It is quite specific, and it's hard for me to imagine the option when you need to put a WebView in a ScrollView.

Question: There is a mail application. There is a hat on top with recipients and everything else. Even so, not everything will go smoothly. The WebView has big problems when it tries to determine its size inside the ScrollView.
Answer: You can try to draw the designated part of the UI inside the WebView.

Question: That is, completely transfer all the logic from the native part to the WebView and leave these containers?
Answer: Even, maybe, the logic does not need to be transferred, I mean the injection of Java classes. The logic can be left and called through the injected class. Only UI can be transferred to WebView.

Question: You mentioned games in the messenger. Are they web applications?
Answer: Yes, these are web pages with JavaScript inside a WebView.

Question: Are you doing all this to just not rewrite games natively?
Answer: And for this too. But the main idea is to give third-party developers the ability to create applications that can be embedded in ICQ, and using this ICQ Web API to interact with the messenger.

Question: So you can also play these games through a web browser on a laptop?
Answer: Yes. It can be opened in a web browser, and sometimes we debug them right there.

Question: And if Intent, for example, throw this toy in Chrome, what problems will there be? If not write your own WebView, but use the services?
Answer: The problem is that in our WebView we can provide an API through injecting a Java class, and using this API, the application will be able to directly interact with ICQ, send it various commands. Let's say a command to get a user's name, to receive chats that are open to him, send messages to the chat directly from ICQ. That is, it will not work from Chrome to send messages directly to ICQ. In our case, all this is possible.

Question: You mentioned that you cut data into chunks one megabyte at a time. How do you collect them later?
Answer: We are not doing this now, because we do not have such a need.

Question: One megabyte is enough?
Answer: Yes. If the pictures are larger, then we try to compress them. I said that if such a need exists, then this may be a solution - to cut and assemble then in Java.

Question: How do you keep sandboxed applications safe? Did I understand correctly that injected Java classes need to be called from a JavaScript application?
Answer: Yes.

Question: How will security be ensured in this case, is access to some system functions prohibited?
Answer: Right now, since the system is still quite young, we mainly use our own web applications, and we completely trust them. In the future, all applications that will come to us will be administered, the code will be viewed, a special Security Team is allocated for this. Additionally, a special permission system will be created, without which applications will not be able to access some critical information for the user.

From the article you will learn

Many Android users are often faced with the phenomenon of Android System Webview. Some saw this name in the lists of running applications, while others received a notification with this name. In this regard, questions arise: what is this application or process, why it asks to be updated, how to uninstall or stop, and many others. And if you are reading this article, then you are also interested in learning more about all this.

What it is?

Android System Webview is a service of the Android operating system that is preinstalled in it by default. It is necessary to view pages on the Internet without launching browsers. Used to display site content inside applications. For example, you downloaded a news program. All these news are downloaded from the original sites, however, they are displayed not in the browser, but inside this very application. So, to make such a principle of operation possible, the Android System Webview service is intended.

This app was first installed in Android 4.2.2 and higher, which means it was not available in earlier versions. It is also distributed separately in the Google Play service and is constantly updated, so if you do not have it on your smartphone, you can download the latest version from this service.

In general, many developers recommend using this application only if you have Android version 5.0 or higher, since it requires a certain amount of resources, thereby loading your device with unnecessary processes. Also, support for versions lower than 5.0 was discontinued long ago, but many hackers use the vulnerabilities found through this application to hack users' smartphones.

Which apps use Android System Webview

Some of the standard programs that are installed on your smartphone use this service by default to display content, for example, ICQ Messenger, Google Play Press, Puffin Browser and many others, so in general we can say that this is an integral part in Android that is necessary for the correct display of data on your smartphone.

But it all depends on the version of the operating system that is used in your gadget. The thing is, starting with Android 7 Nougat, Android System Webview is no longer used and is disabled by default. All the options it performed earlier are now duplicated in Google Chrome, Google's own browser. Also, some of the operations can be performed at all through the developer's applications, bypassing unnecessary processes.

How to uninstall Android System Webview app

If you have Android below the seventh version, we categorically do not recommend that you delete this application from your smartphone, otherwise numerous malfunctions are possible, and the scale of the consequences can only be guessed at. As a rule, all services related to weather, social networks, and some browsers will stop working for you. This is one point.

The second point - even if you have a version higher than Android 7, you must have root rights. If you are sure that you do not need it, you can remove it in the following way:

If you decide to reactivate this service, you can do this by going to Google Play and downloading it.

How to activate Android System Webview in Android 7.0 and above

As we mentioned earlier, this version uses a separate mechanism from Google Chrome by default, but if you need to enable a standard Android service, namely Android System Webview, you can use one of the listed methods.

First option

1. Go to the "Applications" tab, find Google Chrome there and disable it;
2. Now go to Google Play and download the ASW app;
3. You need to start any process that requires this application, for example, weather;
4. Go to the weather application and the Android System Webview service will start automatically;
5. You can check that it is activated by going to "Applications" again. Even if ASW was not previously listed, it will appear.

Second option

Let's clarify right away that this option is a little more complicated, and sometimes problems arise with it. Use it only if you failed to complete the steps with the first option.

1. Go to "Settings", select "About phone" and click on "Build number";
2. Press several times until a notification appears that you have become a developer. This means that you have activated developer mode;
3. Now go to the "For Developers" item and find the "Webview Service" tab there;
4. At this point, you can choose which application to handle opening links within applications: via Google Chrome or Android System Webview.

Possible problems and solutions

Sometimes the device may display errors that are related to this service. We have described the most famous of them, and also provided you with ways to solve them.

An error has occurred in the application

If you have such an inscription, you just need to clear the data. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Go to the "Settings" of your smartphone and find Android System Webview (or ASW) in the list;
2. Click on this name and click first the item "Clear data", and then "Clear cache";
3. Also check that you have free space on your phone memory.

Component needs to be updated

This is another common problem that can occur both on its own and when opening certain applications, for example from Microsoft. To eliminate it, follow the steps:

1. Go to Google Play, find ASW there and update it;
2. If the error persists (in this case, you have 100% Android 7 and higher), update Google Chrome as well, and the error will no longer appear.

In case none of the described methods helped you, you will have to do a full reset to factory settings. Just be sure to create a backup with data, since all information on the device will be deleted.

Many users of devices running on the Android system have come across a pop-up notification: "update Android System WebView". Inexperienced users may be interested in the question "What is" Android System WebView? " and why this program is needed. The answer to this question will be found in this article.

What is Android System WebView and what is it for?

Will be useful

This program is one of the important components of the OS called "Android", which provides viewing of virtual pages on the Internet in many programs without running third-party software. It is also one of the many developments of the world's largest corporation Google. In other words: the user can use the program to open links to various pages without needing to install a browser on his gadget.

This program is a standard component included in the Android system software suite. But do you need "Android System WebView" if you have Google Chrome browser installed? The answer is very simple: if you have a search engine and you always actively use it, then this software will be useless to you.

Interaction with programs

Many users do not even know about it at all and at the first contact with the program they try to uninstall it in order to free up space on the phone. But due to the fact that it is the installed program by default, you simply cannot get rid of it in normal mode. To do this, you need "Root-access" ("Superuser" access with extended rights), but it is not recommended to erase it, as this may affect the functionality and performance of many necessary programs or even harm the phone, disable it. List of programs where this software is included:

With the help of it and "Engineering Studio" a skilled user who has certain skills and knowledge has the ability to create his own browser or any other application such as "messenger" or news feed. But this is possible only if your smartphone has an operating system "Android 4.2.2" or higher. But This problem can be solved simply: download it from the official Google store. The main thing is to know some of the nuances:

note

Owners of the old version of the system may be victims of hackers, since the flaws in the old version of "ASWV" affect the security of the OS (recommended). Therefore, it would be more logical to get an Android-based smartphone that supports versions 5.0 and higher.

But before using "ASWV", you need to enable it.

Obtaining rights

If you already understood what Android System WebView is and you just need to uninstall the software, then To do this, you need to get Root access, otherwise nothing will work. To do this, follow the steps:

If you have not received certain rights, but do not know whether you will need Android System WebView in the future, then the program can only be stopped.

If you open the section with system applications on an Android smartphone, you can see a lot of all kinds of applications, the names of most of which tell the user absolutely nothing. For example, Android System WebView - what is it?

Android System WebView is the software built into the firmware required to view content inside any application. What does it mean? Let's say you launched a social networking application. You stumble upon a link, click on it and ... In theory, a browser must be running to open the link, for example, the same Google Chrome. Android System WebView acts as a browser inside the application - the link is launched in it. Android System WebView is built on top of the WebKit engine.

What is it for? Of course, to save device resources and increase the battery life of the smartphone. In short, the app is really useful.

It is easy to find it, for this go to the section with applications.

Bring up the menu and click "Show system processes".

Application information.

Can Android System WebView be uninstalled?

There is no “Delete” button on the application page, so you cannot do anything without superuser rights. But even if you have root rights installed, we strongly do not recommend either uninstalling or freezing this application, since other applications using Android System WebView will not be able to work stably.

If you are experiencing any problems with the application, clear the cache or data in it.

But, once again, we strongly advise against deleting Android System WebView.

Some owners of mobile phones and tablets, when viewing the installed software in the "Active" section, come across the WebView Android utility. If the user does not know what this program is for, then to clear free space on the memory card and unload RAM, he can try to delete or stop it. Let's take a look at the main features of the Android System WebView, what this application is responsible for and whether you can get rid of it.

Purpose and main functions of WebView

Android WebView is one of the developments of the Google IT corporation. This software component allows you to view internet content integrated into mobile applications. That is, the user has the ability to open links to various websites, dispensing with the browser installed on the device. For example, in the News and Weather program, you can view current events directly through the utility interface.

This application is included in the standard set of software for Android operating systems. Since it is preinstalled, you will not be able to uninstall it in standard mode. To do this, you first need to acquire Superuser rights. However, even if you have root access, erasing WebView is strongly discouraged, because it can affect the operation of many programs and disable your mobile device.

Here are some examples of programs that include the Android WebView component:

• Puffin Browser;
• Mikuni Browser;
• News and Weather;
• Google Press;
• various messengers;
• Odnoklassniki, Facebook, VK;
• other programs that interact with the Internet.

In addition, the Android System WebView is an indispensable element of the Android Studio IDE. Through this tool and the Engineering Studio, each user with certain knowledge and skills can create their own browser, as well as another application like a news feed or messenger.

Problems with Android WebView and methods of solving them

WebView Android is considered a fairly resource-intensive application that consumes a lot of RAM and reduces the productivity of the operating system. Another negative point is that Google has stopped releasing updates for this utility on phones running Android 4.3 and below. This decision left WebView vulnerable to malware, which could cause it to crash.

If, when using mobile software, you encounter an error like "The Android System WebView program crashed", you must do the following:

After completing these steps, you will need to update WebView to the latest version. You can update or download Android System WebView from the Play Market absolutely free.