Flash is waving a tearful farewell to Android, with Adobe confirming that it won't be supporting Flash Player on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and furthermore will be blocking people from installing Flash Player from mid-August.
On its blog, the company behind Photoshop confirms that Jelly Bean kit won't get Flash support, matter-of-factly writing, "We have not continued developing and testing Flash player for this new version of Android and its available browser options."
From 15 August, Adobe is going to limit access to Flash Player updates to devices that already have the Player installed. That means that if you don't have the app installed by then, you won't be able to get it.
Moreover, Adobe warns that when devices get updated from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to 4.1 Jelly Bean, the player "may exhibit unpredictable behaviour, as it is not certified for use with Android 4.1". Adobe recommends uninstalling Flash before upgrading your phone or tablet to Jelly Bean.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Xoom or Google Nexus S you should take note, as these are gadgets that Google has confirmed to receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in mid-July.
Flash comes pre-installed on many current smart phones, but it looks like this won't continue, as Flash -- once one of Android's biggest selling points -- continues its quiet exit from Google's operating system.
Apple denied Flash access to its own iOS platform from day one, something that forced many websites to switch to HTML5 to ensure anyone browsing on an iPhone or iPad could still watch video. It looks like this is one battle Apple has won.
Will you miss Flash on Android? Or is it time that the Player slipped quietly away? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 14
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MikeBuck_1 29 June, 2012 13:50
flash is dying, HTML5 is the future, it was nice to have it while it lasted, but there's just too many security holes in flash. So yes It will disappear, I think Adobe won't be that bothered either.
Ryan J Pattinson 29 June, 2012 14:08
well not very nice making websites change so much
androin 29 June, 2012 15:02
Once again APPLE HAS WON!
Peter Hudson 29 June, 2012 15:38
This can't happen. It's the one thing that fandroids always quote is the sole reason to get an android phone over an iOS phone.
tomfromaardvark 29 June, 2012 16:16
well it was nice whilst it lasted, i gotta say i did enjoy that glorious smug feeling when some spanner cant load a video on his iPhone, but thanks to Apple this was a long time a coming. Least with flash gone everyone will turn their attentions to HTML5, might get more widespread use of it now ;)
georg55 29 June, 2012 16:22
well,hope the web sites I visit on my android tablet,soon to be nexus 7,when it ships in 2-3 weeks
will be in HTML5,CNET will have compatible videos for it,some sites may never get there in next year or so
anonymous 29 June, 2012 16:34
I have JB on my Galaxy Nexus and Flash works fine.
anonymous 29 June, 2012 16:40
That's good, this should maker it easier to decide which phone to get, apple or iPhone, without worrying about compatibility, I hope windows too stops supporting flash.
anonymous 29 June, 2012 18:14
Let Adobe burn in hell. Half of the internet runs on flash and they stop supporting it :/ It was the best thing that Android supported flash 'cause WP7 & iOS couldn't do they weren't worth buying....
anonymous 29 June, 2012 19:47
It was nice as a stop gap untill HTML 5 became popular. Let hope any remaining web sites get HTML 5 implemented.
Ruffus Stone 29 June, 2012 21:14
[Quote - "It was the best thing that Android supported flash 'cause WP7 & iOS couldn't do they weren't worth buying...." ]
iOS chose not to support Flash and now the rest are following.
Developers have been moving quickly to keep pace with this change-over, with now over two thirds of all websites that are running Flash content, also having the HTML5 option, according to industry sources.
Adobe have long known the game was up and are finally pulling the plug.
Windoze 8 wasn't going to have Flash either on the Metro UI, but Microsoft have changed their minds and are building-in a restricted version that will only work with "approved websites".
If what I've read is correct, they expect to phase it out within a year or two.
professerclever 30 June, 2012 13:31
Honeycomb was Android Version 3, Ice Cream Sandwich version 4. So how come a new iteration, Jelly Bean, is only version 4.1 and not version 5?
anonymous 30 June, 2012 13:54
I don;t actually beleive that Adobe woudl deliberately set out to bankrupt their own company surely?
Dean Shepherd 30 June, 2012 15:33
@ professerclever
same way we went from 1.5 > 1.6 then 2.1 > 2.2 > 2.3...different versions but only slight number chang..
honeycomb was the tablet base so was a big change and thus out of the 2 series numbers....and ICS was about joining the tablet and phone OS so again...couldn't really be a 2 number...or a 3 number..so its 4....and JB is just a continuation on top of that now...so of course it will be 4.1..
makes sense really when you think bout it.