HTML5 has taken over and Adobe (News – Alert) Flash will soon be fading into oblivion on mobile devices. Adobe recently pulled down “Flash for Android devices” download from the Google (News
– Alert) Play store, marking a significant step toward the dominance of HTML5 and the dying of Flash.
Apart from delisting it on Google Play, Adobe has also stated it will not be pushing out updates to fix bugs on mobile devices unless the device comes pre-installed with Flash by the manufacturer.
In short, Adobe suggests we move on from Flash and embrace HTML5.
The new Android (News – Alert) 4.1 Jelly Bean does not support Flash at all, and if you have updated to the 4.1 version with Flash preinstalled, Adobe recommends that you uninstall it. Android devices like the Nexus 7 do not support Flash and neither does the new Chrome browser. The group has made available the devices that are Flash player certified on its website, adding a disclaimer that installing Flash player on “uncertified devices may result in unexpected behavior and can potentially destabilize your device.”
Adobe announced back in November 2011 that it would discontinue the development of Flash player for mobile devices. In a blog last June, Adobe stated its intention of discontinuing the development and support of Flash player for mobile browsers to focus on mobile apps packaged with Adobe AIR.
While earlier Flash player versions will continue to be available in the archives, Adobe says that any installations made from the archive will not receive updates through Google Play store.
With a 4.3-star rating on Google Play and on more than 100 million Android devices, Flash is still popular despite some users experiencing choppy playback and battery drain. With iOS together with Windows Phone (News – Alert) never having supported Flash, and with BlackBerry and Symbian versions ceasing support for it, Flash will have nowhere else to go, paving the way for HTML5 video to take its place.
Want to learn more about HTML5? Then be sure to attend HTML5 Summit- a DEVCON5 Event, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at HTML Summit. Follow us on Twitter.
Edited by
Braden Becker