Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
228 lines (173 loc) · 9.8 KB

prerelease.md

File metadata and controls

228 lines (173 loc) · 9.8 KB

Try out WebView Beta, Dev, or Canary

Using a pre-release channel of WebView allows you to test new, upcoming features and enhancements to WebView. This is especially useful for Android app developers who use WebView in their apps.

[TOC]

Which channel do I want?

Like Chrome, WebView has four release channels:

  • Stable channel
    • Installed and updated by default on every Android device with WebView
    • Fully tested; least likely to crash or have other major bugs
    • Updated every 2-3 weeks with minor releases, and every 6 weeks with major releases
  • Beta channel
    • Available on Android 7 (Nougat) and later
    • Tested before release, but not as extensively as stable
    • One major update ahead of stable, minor updates every week
  • Dev channel
    • Publicly available on Android 7 (Nougat) and later
    • Two major updates ahead of stable, representing what is actively being developed
    • Updated once per week
    • Minimally tested
  • Canary build
    • Available on Android 7 (Nougat) and later
    • Released daily
    • Includes the latest code changes from the previous day
    • Has not been tested or used

If you're looking for a specific of version of chromium, the latest versions released to each channel can be found on Chromium Dash. WebView and Chrome for Android always release together on all OS levels.

On Android 7 (Nougat) and later, you can install multiple channels at the same time. This allows you to play with our latest code, while still keeping a tested version of WebView around.

How do I try a pre-release channel? {#switch-channel}

Steps depend on your version of Android:

Android 10 and later (Q, R, etc.) - Beta channel {#trichrome-beta}

We offer a new streamlined experience for joining the WebView Beta channel (if you want to opt into Dev or Canary, or you are interested in using WebView DevTools to try experimental WebView features, skip to the next section).

The easiest way to start testing WebView Beta is to opt into the experience on the Google Play Store.

  1. Join the beta tester program on Google Play.
  2. On your device, update Android System WebView in the Play Store.
  3. When the Play Store finishes updating, you will be using WebView Beta!

Returning to stable WebView

  1. Leave the tester program.
  2. Uninstall all updates by visiting Settings > Apps > Android System WebView > Three dots menu in the top right > Uninstall updates.
  3. Visit the Play Store page one more time to install the latest updates to WebView stable, which will include important security fixes.

Android 10 and later (Q, R, etc.) - Dev and Canary channel {#trichrome-dev}

Dev and Canary channels must be downloaded and installed as separate apps, but only one must be chosen to provide the system's WebView implementation at any given time.

*** note WebView pre-release channels are independent of Chrome in Android 10 and later. Chrome can no longer be used as a WebView implementation in Android 10 and later.

  1. Download a pre-release channel of WebView from the play store, available here:

  2. Follow the steps to enable Android's developer options menu

  3. Choose Developer Options > WebView implementation (see figure)

    The "WebView implementation" menu

  4. Choose the channel that you would like to use for WebView

  5. Bonus: you'll also now see an icon for your chosen WebView channel in the list of apps. You can use this app to report bugs, toggle experimental features, and much more! See the WebView DevTools user guide for more details.

Returning to stable WebView

  1. To return to WebView stable, select "Android System WebView" again in the WebView implementation menu

Android 7 through 9 (Nougat/Oreo/Pie)

Pre-release channels must be downloaded and installed as separate apps, but only one must be chosen to provide the system's WebView implementation at any given time.

  1. Download a pre-release channel of Chrome from the play store, available here:

  2. Follow the steps to enable Android's developer options menu

  3. Choose Developer Options > WebView implementation (see figure)

    The "WebView implementation" menu

  4. Choose the Chrome channel that you would like to use for WebView

Returning to stable WebView

  1. To return to WebView stable, select Chrome again in the WebView implementation menu

Android Auto and Android TV

Only one installation of WebView is allowed, but users can opt to receive the latest beta updates from the Play Store.

  1. Join the beta tester program on Google Play.
  2. On your device, update Android System WebView in the Play Store.
  3. When the Play Store finishes updating, you will be using WebView Beta!
  4. Bonus: you'll also now see the "WebView Beta" icon in your list of apps. You can use this app to report bugs, toggle experimental features, and much more! See the WebView DevTools user guide for more details.

Returning to stable WebView

  1. Leave the tester program.
  2. Uninstall all updates by visiting Settings > Apps > Android System WebView > Three dots menu in the top right > Uninstall updates.
  3. Visit the Play Store page one more time to install the latest updates to WebView stable, which will include important security fixes.

Android 5 or 6 (Lollipop/Marshmallow)

We no longer support devices running Android 5 or 6. Devices on these old OS versions can still update to the last supported WebView release but will not be able to install further updates.

Android 4.4 (KitKat) or earlier

WebView does not receive updates on these versions of Android, so the pre-release channels of WebView are not available.

Reporting problems with pre-release WebView

Any WebView-related bugs can be filed here.

To best enable us to resolve the issue, please ensure you provide all of the information requested in the bug report template.

Work profile, multiple users, or Samsung Secure Folder {#multiple-profiles}

*** aside This only applies to Android 8 (Oreo) and above.

If your Android device has been configured with a work profile, you'll need to install pre-release WebView for both your work profile and regular profile. You can only change WebView channel if you've enabled this for all profiles on the device. Then you should be able to successfully switch WebView channels following the steps above.

Some devices may support multiple user accounts. Similar to work profile, your pre-release WebView channel must be installed and enabled for each user account on the device.

Some Samsung phones support a feature called Secure Folder. Under the hood, this is implemented by creating a new user profile, similar to work profile or multiple users. If you've previously enabled the Secure Folder feature, you'll need to add your WebView channel to the folder. Open the folder, click "add apps," and select the desired WebView channel. Then you should be able to select WebView from the menu above.

Command line tools

Choosing your WebView implementation on Android 7 (Nougat) or later can also be done using adb, instead of the Settings UI:

adb shell cmd webviewupdate set-webview-implementation <packagename>

Package names are as follows:

App name Package name
Chrome (stable, 7/8/9 only) com.android.chrome
Chrome Beta (7/8/9 only) com.chrome.beta
Chrome Dev (7/8/9 only) com.chrome.dev
Chrome Canary (7/8/9 only) com.chrome.canary
WebView (stable) com.google.android.webview
WebView Beta (10+ only) com.google.android.webview.beta
WebView Dev (10+ only) com.google.android.webview.dev
WebView Canary (10+ only) com.google.android.webview.canary

See also