What Is Android System WebView? Everything You Need To Know About It

The Android ecosystem is built by putting together millions of software elements. Android, in its genuine form, is developed in such a way that a user can handle each and everything on his phone without installing any third-party applications. Google keeps adding new features to the OS every now and then. Right now, with the Android P developer preview out, Android has become the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. It is also way better than it used to be before.

Android is in use by major smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, LG, OnePlus, Sony and many others. These manufacturers theme the Android OS with their own custom UI. This is where the bloatware comes in. You often have to delete the bloatware from your phone and sometimes you mistakenly delete the system applications mistaking them for bloatware. Therefore, it is very important to know what applications belong to the Android OS and what applications belong to your phone’s manufacturer.

In the list of installed apps on your phone, if you ever came across Android System WebView, and you wondered whether you should keep it or delete it while having no idea what this application is doing on your phone, you will get some answers here today to understand its importance. Android System WebView is an application that plays a vital role to display you the web pages on your phone. Let’s take a deeper look into the Android System WebView.

What Is Android System WebView?

Android System WebView is present in the Android OS since the Android 4.4 KitKat. It is basically a component of the Google Chrome browser. Back in the day, the Android System WebView used to be a part of the Chrome browser. Later on, Google made it a standalone application to help application developers. It is still a component of the Google Chrome browser, however, it can be used as a separate application by the app developers.

The purpose of this application is to help the app developers integrate the browser into their applications. For example, while using Facebook on an Android phone, you must have noted that the links do not open in a separate Internet browser anymore. The links open inside the application instead. That is done through Android System WebView.

This way, the users do not have to leave the application or close it. They can view the web page and quickly return to the application. Android System WebView is working in applications like Instagram and Twitter as well. It is totally up to the developers whether they want to integrate it into their applications or not. Google has given them this choice.

Things were different earlier. To view a link, users always had to leave the application. They used the stock browser of their phone or any third party browser to view a web page. It has become a lot easier now.

Should you delete or keep it?

If you wish to opt-out of the application-browser integration, you can delete the Android System WebView the phone. The applications will then start promoting the browser selection. The external browser will be used instead. However, the Android System WebView is enabled by default and we recommend you to keep it as it is.

Even if you delete the Android System WebView, you can always install it from the Google Play Store. It will start working again. It’s a great utility since it does not really interrupt your application activity.

Conclusion:

That’s all about the Android System WebView. Let me know what are you going to do about this application. Are you going to delete it or keep it? Whatever you chose, I would like to know the reason behind that.