Flash has long been a point of contention for many people. On the desktop, it is generally considered ubiquitous, but it isn’t exactly beloved. On mobile devices, it has never been able to take hold of the market. When Apple released the iPhone in 2007 without any way for Adobe to port Flash to the platform, the browser plugin’s days in the mobile field were numbered. Android devices tried really hard to make Flash support something to go in the “Pro” column instead of the “Con” column, but that didn’t work out too well. This week, Adobe announced the death date of Flash for Android.
Adobe:
Beginning August 15th we will use the configuration settings in the Google Play Store to limit continued access to Flash Player updates to only those devices that have Flash Player already installed. Devices that do not have Flash Player already installed are increasingly likely to be incompatible with Flash Player and will no longer be able to install it from the Google Play Store after August 15th. The easiest way to ensure ongoing access to Flash Player on Android 4.0 or earlier devices is to use certified devices and ensure that the Flash Player is either pre-installed by the manufacturer or installed from Google Play Store before August 15th. If a device is upgraded from Android 4.0 to Android 4.1, the current version of Flash Player may exhibit unpredictable behavior, as it is not certified for use with Android 4.1. Future updates to Flash Player will not work. We recommend uninstalling Flash Player on devices which have been upgraded to Android 4.1.
Say what you will about Apple, but at least they fought the good fight to keep browser plugins away from mobile devices. Let us all rejoice as we spit on Flash’s withered corpse.
Source: Adobe
Image Credit: Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería