If you're an Android user, then possibly you have experienced some issues with your phone apps. Don't worry, and it doesn't mean that your phone is outdated or you need to buy a new one. The only single culprit behind this issue was a buggy update of Android System Webview. Wait, you've never heard about it before? Now, you might be wondering about what is Android System Webview? How's it affecting my mobile apps? Let's answer these problems one by one, and hopefully, by the end, you'll understand the importance of the Android System Webview.
Imagine you're using an Android app, and every time the app needs to show some Google's web content, it redirects you to Chrome. Wouldn't it be so frustrating? Thankfully, this is where Android System Webview jumps in and saves our day. Also, you can think of it as an Android-based component that enables different apps to show Google's web content. Android System Webview's updates were rare in its earlier days and only occurred during new Android versions. But now, it's been separate from the core OS, and updates are available regularly. So, if you're getting any lag or buggy experience from different apps, it's probably due to the latest update of Android System Webview.
If you're using Android Oreo 8.0 or later versions, you can uninstall the Android System Webview. However, if you're removing it only to free up some space, then it's not a good idea. Remember that every Android smartphone has Android System Webview default due to some reasons. Thus, uninstalling or disabling them would indeed affect it. Also, many apps use Android System Webview for link embedment and can help load web pages faster. So, if you've removed Android System Webview for any reason, it's better to re-install it on your phone.
Recently in March 2021, many Android-based apps stopped working while leaving the users frustrated. But, why and what was the reason? The reason was once again a buggy update of the Android System Webview. Moreover, many users weren't able to see any web content on their devices. However, thanks to the developers, they quickly patched the update, and everything was good to go again. On the other hand, these frequent buggy updates also shows that Google also has to remain careful. Many millions of Android users are entirely dependent on these apps. Thus, such updates can spoil the user experience and force them to switch to other OS platforms.
All in all, you can think of the Android System Webview as one Google Chrome tab that's connecting all Android apps to its web content. While this component can prove to be pretty handy, any quirky update can also cause huge issues. Lastly, we'd also encourage you to not uninstall or remove the Android System Webview from your Android smartphones. Remember that this component is present by default due to some reasons, and removing it might only leave you with negative results.