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Adobe: Chrome for Android will not get Flash support

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When Google today launched Chrome for Android in beta they did so without support for Adobe Flash. For many users this seemed surprising given the strong push for Flash on Google’s mobile OS after Steve Jobs and Apple refused to allow Adobe’s platform on their iOS devices. The writing, however, was on the wall. Last November Adobe announced that they would discontinue the development of Flash for mobile — save for a few security and bug updates that have trickled out since — and today they are reiterating their stance. Plainly, there is no chance of seeing Flash support in the mobile version of Chrome. They suggest users looking for Flash content in a mobile browser crafted by Google use the stock Android browser.

Adobe will continue to work on their Flash platform, but mostly as it relates to their AIR technology. For interactive and immersive web content the company is focusing their efforts on HTML5. That should make things pretty clear: there won’t be Flash in Chrome for Android. Sorry, folks.

[via Adobe | Thanks to all who sent this in!]

Kevin Krause
Pretty soon you'll know a lot about Kevin because his biography will actually be filled in!

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108 Comments

  1. darn

  2. good riddance, i love chrome browser too much, i’m willing to take that sacrifice.  

    1. WARNING! Chrome is over 50MB, AND RUNS A 93 MB BACKGROUND SERVICE! UNINSTALLED!

      1. 93??? mine is showing 48MB with one tab opened…..with 1 gig of RAM this isn’t an issue at all. 

        1. That is probably app size. If you go to running, you’ll see 70-100 MB running service. RAM isn’t the issue, battery is.

      2. nope.

        1. Trolling? Speaking truth is not trolling. Stop misusing the word.

          1. Its trolling because its a non-issue and you’re blowing it out of proportion. As long as your phone has more than 256MB of ram, you should be ok. Android will kill off other processes that aren’t needed before it runs out of ram and you shouldn’t have any issues. Used ram won’t make your phone slower (unless you are doing some serious multitasking on less than 512 MB of ram) and you won’t run into any real issues. Besides, the ram usage is great, because Chrome on Android is fast at loading and at actually running. This is mainly due to it keeping lots of stuff in RAM. If you don’t like it (which from a technical standpoint, you have no reason not to) don’t use it, but don’t go spreading borderline FUD.

          2. It has nothing to do with RAM. Background services use battery. 75-100 MB running servic e will kill the battery. A lot of users are complaining of battery drain. I am not blowing anything out of proportion.

          3. @tim242:disqus Actually, it doesn’t. Ram usage will not kill the battery any faster than if the ram wasn’t in use. CPU on the other hand will. Just exit Chrome when you aren’t using it and the running service should become a cached process. If not, and you are really that worried about it, stop the process manually. Problem solved. But don’t pretend like you know about the technical side of RAM when you obviously do not.

          4. Chrome for Android in BETA!!!!!!

          5. Beta, or no beta. A running service of up to 130 MB is a battery killer. I value my battery life more than flashy tabs.

          6. careful, TimCook242 has a thing for his battery.

          7. Stop complaining about BETA software and uninstall, let other people test and report therefore improving the product

          8. Please, for your own sanity (and mine), just uninstall it and move on.

          9. Hehe misusing the word. Trolling is slang. Its inherently misused. Trolling is what you do on a fishing boat. Oh and flash was DOA for mobile, good riddens it always sucked.

          10. Choosing not to Sync when first opening takes the huge syncing service out of the equation.

          11. just report all of TimCook242’s posts.

          12. It’s not misused at all… trolling, the fishing term, is precisely why it’s used… you throw some bait out there and see what bites.

          13. Posting the same thing over and over on the Android sites is trolling. 

          14. Trolling is bashing something blindly. I have reasons for my bashing.

          15. @tim242:disqus http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTroll_(Internet)&ei=4-AxT8auJYzUiAKT_fWgCg&usg=AFQjCNGn1OimBMFZMQFP3OFES5BpqA2-zg&sig2=dO-Uq4oujhicg0ugKfUlJg

            nuff said

          16.  you’re either trolling or full of ignorance.

          17. I’m so full of ignorance. That’s it. It’s not like there are tons of people complaining about major battery drain. /s

          18.  yea yea, RAM has everything to do with battery drain. /s

          19. Nope. I never said that. RAM has nothing to do with battery drain. Background running services do. A lot of people are reporting battery issues. Disabling Sync is the only way to fix that. However, still missing too many features. They will get added later, but no flash is a deal breaker. I use it daily.

          20. you are trolling.

          21. Yup you are Trolling B-) 

      3. Do you honestly need to keep posting that over and over?

      4. repeating the same line in the same thread?

        1. and you keep sending me multiple messages…

      5. Hey, Tim, you have two choices regards Flash: (1) stick with desktops or pre-2012 software the rest of your life, or (2) help the websites you like get on the ball by reminding them that in Europe and the US anyway, smartphones & iPads are out-selling PCs; they might as well put buggy-whip holders on their sites for all the good Flash will do them.

        You don’t have to be a partisan one way or the other; this is just Life in 2012. I’m sure you’ll deal with it without looking silly.

        1. that’s all fine and good…but I can’t do without my content for the next few years while they change.

  3. Well i do not care thanks to HTML5 !
    and for the speed and awesomeness of chrome !

    1. Do you even know what HTML5 is?

      1. :p caz of html5 support you do not need just flash to upload videos …
        which i think is the only reason fo which ppl like plash, caz no one wants those flash adds.
        and regarding your question : yes ! i know HTML 5 , you have any problem x-(  ???/

  4. WARNING! Chrome is over 50MB, AND RUNS A 93 MB BACKGROUND SERVICE! UNINSTALLED!

    1. Mine shows 28mb for chrome and 60mb for stock browser in cached processes. Meanwhile ASTRO shows chrome using 57M of memory vs 91M from stock browser.

      Sticking with Chrome. If I need flash I’ll go back to stock browser.

      1. Go to running services…

        1.  dude you’ve got 512MB of ram. Whats 57MB? (for the record mines only 32MB)

          1. First of all, it has nothing to do with RAM. You are not looking in the right place. In running services, you will see a Syncing service running at 75-130 MB in the background. The only way to avoid that, is to not sync.

          2. so you found the answer, thus no need to complain about it anymore?  Awesome for everyone!!  FREE CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

          3. And btw, I have 1GB of RAM…but that isn’t the issue.

          4. what is the issue?  Oh right, you like to whine about something insignificant.   Chrome works fine.

    2. warning. you have a shitty phone.

      1. The Nexus us far from shitty. Don’t be jealous.

        1. It wont work on a nexus

          1. What won’t work on a Nexus? LoL everything works on a Galaxy Nexus.

          2. sounds like you have a bad phone.  ZOMG it’s over 50MB!!!!! FREAKING OUT LIKE A RITALIN-LACED EMO KID!!! Z O M G ! !   

            yawn.

      2. Lmao!

    3. Don’t like it don’t use it. Personally, even if it was 150MB and had an equally demanding background process, I would be willing to devote (about) 1/8th of my phones capacity to the thing I am using anyways….

  5. Just checked out HTML5 test on chrome on my Gnex! It owned!
    Mozilla Firefox= 315+9
    Ios5= 305+9
    Stock 4.0= 256+10
    Chrome beta= 343+10!!!

  6. Mine is like 125 but doesn’t really matter. Android isn’t stupid, it destroys processes when needed.

  7. Adobe AIR is no longer supported on linux, it won’t be long until it’s killed off for Windows. Good riddance I say, html5 is just fine.

    1. Windows 8 does not support flash in metro mode. You need to switch over to classic mode to watch it.. so you’ll likely be right sooner rather then later.

      1. Actually, Adobe has said it’s supporting Adobe AIR for Windows 8 on the Metro side. It’s just Flash inside of Internet Explorer where Flash is not accepted.

        Also for Linux, Adobe left it open for any of the Linux distributions to port the latest versions of Adobe AIR to Linux. With it not being open source, I’ve yet to hear any Linux groups take Adobe up on the offer.

  8. For once I have to agree with Tim…  I have Galaxy Nexus and in testing with Chrome Beta, a few tabs open, it absolutely ATE through my battery like it was its job to do so. My phone got hot, and I could smell the plastic.   

    Not trolling.. just stating what happened to me. 

    1. That’s CPU usage. Has nothing to do with RAM. Its why your phone got hot. Shouldn’t get that hot if you aren’t overclocking or on a custom kernel so you may want to look into that. As for Chrome using up battery, it is fast, which means its also resource intensive. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that until it stabalizes, it may not be a good idea for everday on battery use.

      Plugged in, its absolutely worth it though.

  9. Too funny wont support Flash. 
    FAIL. 

    1. That’s adobe’s problem. Besides, flash is dead on mobile, thanks to Adobe ending support last fall. After ICS, its gone for good no matter what browser you use. So not really a fail, at least not on Chrome’s part.

      1. didn’t we hate Apple because they didn’t support?
        Now am I supposed to hate my own phone because it won’t support flash?

        1. Like I said, Adobe’s problem. You should hate Adobe, since they ended flash on mobile, not Android, Google, or Chrome. We hated on Apple because they said no way when Adobe wanted to try to make it work. Android, Google, and Chrome supported them doing it, and Adobe was the one who stopped the support.

          1. Let’s be clear here: when Brimelow wrote his famous “Screw You, Apple” post, there was NO WAY Adobe could’ve squeezed Flash into the 128MB of RAM on the iPhones that most Apple customers were using; the then-current 3GS, with a 600MHz CPU and 256MB of RAM would’ve been an even worse disaster than it was with the few high-powered Froyo machines that got it later in the year.

            So Adobe never had a case for Flash on mobiles before 1GB/1GHz class machines. And it apparently was too much expense and hassle even when that became the norm; rather than open-source it so the manufacturers could optimize it, they threw in the towel.
            Given Adobe hasn’t wanted to continue Flash with the supposed TOTAL DEDICATION of Google and esp. Moto, you have to wonder how sincere Adobe ever was with Apple. If they won’t do it on the most popular platform of 2012—a more powerful platform with even dedicated hardware support in Tegras—why would they have done it for Apple when it was so much harder?

            Hate on Apple all you like, but Jobs was telling an uncomfortable truth two years ago: Adobe never had a clear plan for a quality player on mobile.

        2. What don’t you understand about it not being Google’s choice? 

          1. Ya riiiiight because companies never negotiate or try to work something out.
            So yes obviously they couldn’t work something out but please let’s not play it’s all Adobe’s fault and Google had no choice because that is complete nonsense.
            One day a company just doesn’t decide to not support a particular device that is in the hands of hundreds of millions of users.
            You’re obviously being very naïve or simply trying to pick a fight.
            Based on your previous posting habits you’re probably just trying to pick a fight.
            If it makes you feel like a Internet tough guy ouch you won

          2. lol, no just combating ignorance where I see it.

          3. omg no. you just got here. go back. go back and quickly. you do not belong.

          4. You can wish all you want, but the actual facts are that where Adobe has done anything at all, they’ve put up buggy, slow and late implementations across the mobile space. Every vendor that has tried to work with them has that experience. Adobe has 100% of the financial incentive because it’s THEIR tools that people buy to build Flash, whereas it’s just an expense for Google, RIM, Apple, Microsoft and anybody else.

            Now this comes AFTER Adobe says they’ll honor their existing contracts but NOT do any new ones. And YOU think it’s all about Google. Despite public proclamations by Adobe. Despite crappy implementations by Adobe. Despite financial incentives for Adobe.

            Adobe never had a chance at properly supporting Flash on mobile devices, due to their ultra-fast technology changes (guaranteeing they’d ALWAYS be late with new OS or hardware), tightly-constrained hardware and a HUGE fragmentation of multiple OS’s (each with many different versions in the past 2 years), multiple CPU architectures, multiple screen sizes & drivers, and an out-of-control expansion of multiple CODECs in Flash, new features such as 3D.

            This is called denial. Adobe finally swore it off. Time for you to have a cup of coffee and face reality.

          5. well apparently you fail at combating ignorance.
            But if it makes you feel like a tough guy to be a forum hall monitor you have succeeded I suppose

          6. My Dad had a saying, “You can always tell a jackass but you can’t tell them much.”

            As someone previously posted, Google had already said that Chrome and Adobe wouldn’t be working together. Adobe made the announcement way before ICS was released it would no longer support mobile versions. 

            Still if it makes you feel better, blame Google, you will anyway. As hall monitor, I suggest you put on your bigboy pants and go home. 

          7. Thanks Officer Fife! 
            Keep up the fine work! 

        3. Yes, but the fact is Flash is dying, Adobe themselves won’t be developing it anymore. So no use blaming Android/Google.

      2. actually, Apple not supporting Flash on iOS is one of the main reason why Adobe stopped developing Flash for mobile.

        1. and they were started to push for HTML5 long before Apple pretended to care about it.  Now Apple is trying to back peddle on HTML5 as developers are bypassing the apple tax in the app store by creating HTML5 sites/apps that never touch Apple’s walled sewers.

        2. Again, total denial. Android users are the first to celebrate how so many Androids are in use, but when it comes to Flash, it’s All About Apple.

          Adobe never bought into the Apple RDF. Neither did BlackBerry, Symbian or Palm OS designers. Maybe wannabe-everthing-to-everybody Microsoft did, but only a bit. And there ain’t Flash on ANY of those mobiles.

          There just must not be ANY logic that could unhook you from 2010’s and last year’s Adobe/Android propaganda, is there?

          1. Ignorance. I don’t blame you though. Did you follow the Adobe Flash developer’s tweet after they announced that they are stopping mobile Flash development? Nope.

            Yes they specifically pointed at Apple.

          2. Here. http://bit.ly/zcHcKK

      3. As mentioned in the above article, Flash mobile continues on in Android in Adobe AIR mobile.

        That said, while Adobe is not funding it, Google could step in if they wanted to. Adobe will give them the source code to port, as Google is a partner of Adobe’s Open Screen Project. As Adobe is giving the Flash Player source code to RIM to continue porting Flash Player to the PlayBook and future BlackBerry devices.

        It is mainly Adobe’s fault (and the result of lack of iOS support) but Google could step in.

  10. Kevin, when it comes to Adobe, Flash(AIR), and HTML5, I can always count on you for a great source of ignorance. ;)

  11. Flash aren’t that big of deal.

  12. Not available on Razr?!?!?

    1. They said before it’s for 4.0+… sorry

  13. Actually Google have already announced that Flash and Chrome are not going to walk hand in hand anymore, that’s why they are already converting YouTube to their new opensource video format.
    It’s obvious that it can’t be a technical reason as HC and ICS browsers are both lite versions of Chrome

    1. Future version of the Flash Player are set to run Google’s Web M video format.

      As far as I’m aware, I haven’t heard that Google’s desktop version of Chrome is dumping Flash. Google actually still uses Flash in a number of their products. Google is even been using Flash in new products like movie rentals for Android market on PC’s.

      Also YouTube has already blogged why they aren’t ready to switch to HTML5:
      http://apiblog.youtube.com/2010/06/flash-and-html5-tag.html 

  14. Thats funny everybody hate apple because of flash lack but if google do it its ok??

    1.  in all honesty flash is dying, the reason everyone is upset with apple is because THEY didn’t want anything to do with flash even thought at the time it was a very widely used technology… this time its the other way around, adobe knows its dying and is pulling out of the mobile world, this is no fault of googles but is all on adobe’s shoulders. google has always supported flash on its devices and has nothing to do with it not being supported on mobile anymore.

      so please, stop trolling and trying to convince people we should be upset by this, there is nothing we can do except be mad at ADOBE…. not google

      1. I’m only mad at Google for lack of options, like full screen, text wrap, and zoom level.

    2. I would think the difference is a couple things. First, if you want flash you still have options. Unlike with Idevices where you can’t get it at all, besides some special browsers that pull some server magic to get it working. Second, this seems to be partly adobes fault with the no longer supporting it on mobile deceives thing. So even if people are upset they either are partly blaming adobe ( so less rage per party) or they go back to the first thing i said and get flash from another browser. So less upset or not at all.

      That is just my theory though … it could also be everyone just has a boner for google though. -shrugs-

    3. The difference is, in this case, it was Adobe who said Chrome is not getting Flash, while on the other side, it was Apple itself who said it, plus the fact that Apple is one of the factor that made Adobe stop developing Flash for mobile.

      Also, Apple refuse to support Flash system wide, while on Android, you have a choice, if you need Flash, stick with the stock browser. The stock browser already performs better than most other browser out there (including Safari on iOS), so its not like you’re using something inferior either.

      1. You’re right but adobe was the first who said that they wont chage their code to optimize flash for iphones. Anyways i dont need flash neither on my computer.

        1. I use it daily. Until HTML5 is widely used, Flash is a must!

        2. Actually, no Adobe has wanted to get Flash Player on the iPhone for a very long time. When the first generation of iPhone came out in 2007, Flash Player 10.1 that was optimized for mobile did not exist, however Adobe had Flash Player lite on millions of mobile phones. They would reach 1 billion devices by 2009, but Apple wasn’t interested. According to Steve Jobs’ biography it was because Jobs was still pissed off at Adobe for how long it took them to support OSX when it was brand new with Adobe’s Creative Suite products.

        3. you think you don’t, but it’s still on most websites out there.


      2. The stock browser already performs better than most other browser out there (including Safari on iOS),”

        Um, no. No it does not.

        1. Um, yes.

    4. Adobe has stated that the lack of Flash on iOS is one of the main reasons that they are pulling support for Flash Player mobile. So actually, you could blame Apple why there isn’t any Flash on the Android version of Chrome.

      That said, Adobe has left the door open for Open Screen Project partners to port Flash Player to other OSes and devices. Partners have access to the Flash Player source code, they just have to do it themselves, as Adobe won’t pay for it themselves anymore. Example, RIM will continue to have new versions of the Flash Player on the PlayBook and quite likely their new QNX. Meanwhile, Sony was looking to get Flash Player mobile on the PS Vita. However, RIM has control over both hardware and software. One of the reasons that it was getting expensive for Adobe was because of all the variations of Android on such wide range of hardware. Google would need to work together with the hardware companies.

    5. no, everyone sheeped-out with Apple and attacked Adobe’s Flash.   You have it backwards.

  15. Any way to permanently switch to Full Versions of websites? I can’t find a way. There’s no way they left that feature out. If so, they’re starting to look like Apple, taking big features away from users.

  16. I don’t mind if chrome doesn’t support flash. HTML5 will be just fine!

    1. …when it’s widely used. Until then, Flash is a must for me.

      1. Well , you have choices, until then just use the stock browser or something.

        1. The scary thing is, Google plans to eventually use this as stock. I hope by then that HTML 5 has taken over.

  17. This makes me sad face

  18. You’ve got the cause and effect wrong. Flash and mobile devices don’t work well together. Apple recognized it early. If Adobe had come up with a version that worked well, it would have been a different story.

    Adobe and Google/Android tried for a couple more years and versions to get it to work and they couldn’t. Adobe finally recognized the fact and has dropped Flash for mobile devices.

  19. The sooner they’ll stop supporting Flash, the sooner we can forget Flash. And look forward to the new technology… Ah.

  20. Steve Jobs is dead, there is no point for Google to fight this battle. Web sites need to stop using flash, period. It’s really an anti-web idea to begin with….as much as I loved it…..while it lasted…..

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