Google explains reason for Android apps crashing, details mitigations
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
- Google detailed the reasons for the numerous crashes of the Android app over the past month.
- A WebView configuration problem was the main cause.
- Google plans to improve its rollout measures for WebView and Chrome to minimize future problems.
It has been almost a month since Android users were exposed to random app crashes due to a WebView issue with the Android system. Now, Google has finally released details on how and why this important Android system process brought the operating system to its knees.
In a statement released this week by the Google Workspace team (via 9to5Google) the problem was attributed to the experimentation and configuration technology of Chrome and WebView. This affected the ability of apps to properly display web content and caused Gmail and other Google apps to crash.
“The update required the distribution of updated binaries for Chrome and WebView. These new versions were made available for distribution via Google Play for automated and manual updates, ”it continues. A new update for WebView was available the day after the crashes were reported. Chrome immediately received an update.
While the problem was resolved immediately, Google wants to make sure it doesn’t recur. It promised to implement measures to reduce future crashes of WebView-related apps. These include improving rollout guidelines, “speeding up” WebView and Chrome updates in the Play Store, and implementing a “safe mode” for WebView. The latter ensures that WebView returns to a previously known working state in the event of problems.
As mentioned by Google, recent updates to Chrome and Android System WebView fix the app crashing issue. If you are still finding that some apps are crashing on your device, then you should update these services.
