While updating apps on your Android device, you might have come across an app called “Android System WebView” which is constantly updating but we can’t open it, delete it or interact with it (at least as we usually do with other applications).
Despite this, Android System WebView is one of the most relevant components when developing apps on Android and it is very important to keep it updated both for security reasons and to ensure that the applications that use it work correctly. Therefore, it is worth explaining what this component is and how it works on our Android devices.
Android System WebView, or how to navigate within your applications
Information about what Android System WebView is is detailed on the Android developer page itself, which explains that is a component that allows applications to display web content.
“Android WebView is a Chrome-powered system component that allows Android apps to display web content. This component comes pre-installed on your device and should be updated to ensure you receive the latest security and other updates. security patches.”. Google.
As we can see, the description of WebView is simple: it is the component that allows us to browse the web within the apps themselves without having to open another browser, such as Google Chrome. But what benefit does this bring to users and developers? Let’s see this with an example.
In the GIF we can see that, for example, when opening a link in Facebook, a web page is loaded. However, when we return to multitasking, we find that We are still inside Facebook, Chrome should not have been openedwhich has several implications.
WebView allows us to navigate safely and quickly through applications, in addition to ensuring that developers keep us in applications, being able to access the web functions they contain
Regarding users, we have the guarantee that, being from Google and having Chrome technology, WebView is a fast and secure way to browse the web in apps. On the part of the developers, it is easy for them to integrate links to external pages or functions of the application that can only be configured via the web, without the users needing to leave said application to go to the external browser.
If WebView fails, [se pueden dar importantes errores](a bad surprise) who make close apps. There are workarounds for this that fix the failures, but if WebView is disabled we’ll have issues with all apps that use it.
For him, It is important to always have updated Android System WebViewboth to ensure that we are using a safe version and to optimize its performance.
“WebView objects allow you to display web content as part of your business layout, but they lack some of the functionality of full-fledged browsers. A WebView is useful when you need more control over user interface and advanced configuration options that will allow you to embed web pages in an environment specifically designed for your application.” Google.
It goes without saying that, being a component that allows you to navigate in the app, is more limited than the full Google Chrome browser. However, since it is intended for specific requests of the application, it helps to speed up the loading of pages.
