Android users around the world reported a strange crashing of several apps on their smartphones last month. A close inspection revealed that the unusual crash of apps such as Gmail, Amazon, Yahoo Mail, DuckDuckGo browser, and more was a result of faulty Android System WebView that lets Android apps display web content. Now, Google has released a statement explaining what caused the error and how future WebView problems would be remedied. As per the company and reported by 9to5 Google, a “bug within Chrome & WebView’s experiment & configuration technology” was the culprit. The bug essentially caused “instability” in Android apps that use WebView to render web content that, in turn, repeatedly crashed them.
To quickly recall, Android users started reporting problems on March 22, where they experienced an increased number of crashes occurring on select smartphone models. On the other hand, apps on Apple iOS-running devices remained unaffected. Google Workspace team further explains the fix required distribution of updated binaries for Chrome and WebView. The fixes were rolled out via the Google Play app store for automated and manual updates. The company claims that it also provided guidance to users who may have been impacted, in addition to publishing a detailed post to the Android Help Centre’s community forum.
Google adds that it would “audit WebView and its related dependencies for production readiness,” while improving “experiment testability and roll-out process” to make sure this kind of problem does not occur again. The software giant also aims to “accelerate” Play Store updates for Chrome and WebView. If an issue does slip through the testing process, WebView will revert to a “Safe Mode” or a known-good state. Lastly, it promises to better communicate throughout incidents with our users and provide commentary with partners on impact and resolution status.
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