Why did Android stop flash support?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
129
101
You can't find flash in the play store anymore, and Adobe seems to have stopped developing flash for mobile.

Why?

It doesn't work great--but I'd expect it to improve over time just like how flash on the PC is fairly stable. Lots of the web relies on flash, still, and having flash is an advantage over iOS.
 
Red Storm

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
If you keep it around it will die an extremely slow death, as opposed to a normal slow death by cutting support.
 
Zodiark1593

Zodiark1593

Platinum Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,230
4
81
Ehh, cutting support just to kill flash doesn't exactly help much for the user when many websites rely on flash today. Perhaps when HTML5 wins over most of the media-heavy internet, I can see beginning to phase out flash.
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Here are Adobe's reasons (it was completely their decision):

Flash was never going to gain ubiquity on mobile devices, thanks to the fact that Apple resolutely refused to adopt the technology on the iPhone or iPad. "No matter what we did, the Flash Player was not going to be available on Apple’s iOS anytime in the foreseeable future," he says.

Meanwhile, HTML5 is ubiquitous. "On mobile devices, HTML5 provides a similar level of ubiquity that the Flash Player provides on the desktop," Chambers says.

Users don't consume content on mobile in the same way they do on desktop. Differences in screen sizes, latency from wireless networks and the ubiquity of app stores made Flash less relevant on handheld devices.

Developing browser plugins for mobile is much more challenging than the desktop. It requires more partnerships with OS developers, mobile hardware manufacturers and component manufacturers. "Developing the Flash Player for mobile browsers has proven to require much more resources than we anticipated," Chambers admits.

Adobe wanted to shift more resources to HTML5, and dropping Flash for mobile frees them to do so.
Click to expand...

http://mashable.com/2011/11/11/flash-mobile-dead-adobe/

Cliff Notes? Apple won the mobile war with Adobe.
 
M

Mopetar

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2011
8,463
7,683
136
Zodiark1593 said:
Ehh, cutting support just to kill flash doesn't exactly help much for the user when many websites rely on flash today. Perhaps when HTML5 wins over most of the media-heavy internet, I can see beginning to phase out flash.
Click to expand...

That time has already come. I can't think of any site where I would need Flash that doesn't have an HTML 5 solution or an app that replaces their website. Maybe you're usage differs from mine, but I haven't been inconvenienced by a lack of Flash support in well over a year now. What is it that you're doing that you still need Flash?
 
D

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
129
101
Mopetar said:
That time has already come. I can't think of any site where I would need Flash that doesn't have an HTML 5 solution or an app that replaces their website. Maybe you're usage differs from mine, but I haven't been inconvenienced by a lack of Flash support in well over a year now. What is it that you're doing that you still need Flash?
Click to expand...

I like to watch full episodes of MSNBC online. Flash gets updated faster than anything else. Like, the podcast might be ready the next day. Also, you get to watch the full episode, not sporadic clips. Same is true for other shows like The Daily Show.

Lately I've been using android and a hacked version of flash to watch videos on amazon prime, on an android tablet. There is no native prime video app for some reason for android. Netflix does have crossplatform apps of course...
 
zerocool84

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
Mopetar said:
That time has already come. I can't think of any site where I would need Flash that doesn't have an HTML 5 solution or an app that replaces their website. Maybe you're usage differs from mine, but I haven't been inconvenienced by a lack of Flash support in well over a year now. What is it that you're doing that you still need Flash?
Click to expand...

Stupidly, ESPN website still uses flash. Any videos in the articles don't load on my tablet or phone with sucks.
 
R

Roland00Address

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2008
2,196
260
126
poofyhairguy said:
Here are Adobe's reasons (it was completely their decision):

http://mashable.com/2011/11/11/flash-mobile-dead-adobe/

Cliff Notes? Apple won the mobile war with Adobe.
Click to expand...

Adobe makes money selling software to make html and flash.

Flash cost money for Adobe to keep supporting, as you quoted it was not a static cost but a long term cost that keep on accruing.

It is cheaper to maintain HTML5, you get to sell new software, and HTML5 is better for videos and security than flash.

It sounds like a nobrainer to me for Adobe, they don't lose anything for the interm while technology adapts, and they actually make money on the adaptation by selling new software.

desura said:
I like to watch full episodes of MSNBC online. Flash gets updated faster than anything else. Like, the podcast might be ready the next day. Also, you get to watch the full episode, not sporadic clips. Same is true for other shows like The Daily Show.

Lately I've been using android and a hacked version of flash to watch videos on amazon prime, on an android tablet. There is no native prime video app for some reason for android. Netflix does have crossplatform apps of course...
Click to expand...

The daily show is working fine on my nexus 7 in chrome, so I asume they moved away from flash since I am running normal android 4.4 which is incompatible with flash.
 
Conscript

Conscript

Golden Member
Mar 19, 2001
1,751
2
81
Mopetar said:
That time has already come. I can't think of any site where I would need Flash that doesn't have an HTML 5 solution or an app that replaces their website. Maybe you're usage differs from mine, but I haven't been inconvenienced by a lack of Flash support in well over a year now. What is it that you're doing that you still need Flash?
Click to expand...


Amazon prime video content?
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Mopetar said:
What is it that you're doing that you still need Flash?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately Flash still has a use as long as content providers try arbitrarily separate Mobile from Desktops.

They are doing it to try and squeeze out revenue, but it creates a situation where Flash is the barrier so frugal users still need Flash.

For example I wanted to listen to a football game earlier last year. I could pay something like $10 to officially stream it to my phone using a blessed app, or I could go to the local website of a radio station and stream it from their Flash-based desktop web player. Sure the Flash route drained down a battery,but it saved me ten bucks.

Other examples include Amazon Prime, how Watch ESPN is more restrictive than ESPN 3, how on mobile you pay for Hulu Plus or get nothing while regular Hulu.com has Flash episodes of some stuff for free, etc.

Mobile is being seen as a reboot for computers- a way to milk revenue they missed with desktops. As long as they continue that unfortunate path I will sideload hacked Flash on my device.
 
G

Graze

Senior member
Nov 27, 2012
468
1
0
Google seems to be transitioning youtube to HTML5 lately too. As in even if you have HTML5 playback option off some(most) videos playback in it instead of flash.

On my ancient(~2004) laptop youtube has become unusable. I am not a big fan of HTML5 on machines with limited resources.
 
A

A5

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2000
4,902
5
81
Flash isn't really usable on old systems these days, either.
 
zerogear

zerogear

Diamond Member
Jun 4, 2000
5,611
9
81
It's the other way around. Adobe decided to stop supporting mobile platforms.

Mopetar said:
I don't use Amazon Prime video, but don't they have an Android app for it? My mother was able to find an app for her iPad.
Click to expand...

No, seems like they want Android users to adopt their Kindle "Android". The video is heavily embedded into their own version of Android and not a separate app.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom