Google refuses 930 million Android customers to placate – Automation Guide

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We do it not because it’s too much work. That is the argument that Google argues in a nutshell for no more patching WebView, the display module of older versions of Android

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Earlier this month, tied Tod Beardsley belled the cat to. Beardsley was a source understood that Google has no patches will develop more for the WebView in Android version 4.3 and above. That was reason for him to rely on Google to change the policy. At this time, according to Google’s own figures running only 40 percent of Android devices in versions 4.4 and higher. 930 million Android devices are still in use, let Google thus stand in the cold, Beardsley supplied as an argument.

Google’s Adrian Ludwig shows via Google+ know that Google that call will not follow. This is about 5 million lines of code that developers still hundreds of thousands every month supply new contributions. In some cases, requires applying a patch to a two-year-old branch of WebKit [WebView which is based - ed] changes in significant parts of the code. That’s no longer safe to do practical manner, writes Ludwig.

Users and app developers need to take action

According to Ludwig, the problem disappears by itself as more and more people are switching to the latest versions of Android, either by upgrading or because they buy a new device. In the meantime, would users of the devices with no longer supported WebView versions can use browsers like Chrome and Firefox, who regularly receive updates. That protects against known and future threats, says Ludwig.

Software developers can protect users of their app by all the best practices in the field of secure programming to observe, only to let trusted content to load into their app (from local source or via https connection) and in cases that must be communicated to the open Internet, to develop their own display module.

Ludwig’s contribution has a lively discussion do erupt on Google+. In addition to people who show understanding, ask a lot of commentators are wondering why Microsoft and Apple are in a position to maintain their software protracted, and Google is not. Also Ludwig does go very easily overlook the fact that using Chrome or Firefox does not help in protecting apps that use WebView, criticism, says while the suggestion to software developers then but to develop their own display module as little serious option is seen .

clarified Patch Policy

Ludwig makes passing clear where buyers of Android devices and developers of apps in the future can count on. Google provides patches for the current branch of Android in the Android Open Source Project and will Android partners with patches for at least the last two major versions of the operating system. In the next release of Android, Google reserves, in other words, the right to the KitKat version no longer to patch.