Android System WebView is a system component, to disable which leads to failures when trying to play web content in various applications. If you experience such problems, get acquainted with the instructions below to learn how to turn it on again.
If your smartphone or tablet is disabled Android System WebView, you will encounter the fact that most applications will stop opening web pages when Go to the link. To eliminate such a problem, you need to know how to run it again.
What is WebView on Android
Android System WebView is a system component with which web content is simplified in applications on the phone. For example, you wish to follow the link from WhapsApp and watch the video that you sent a close person. If WebView works correctly, the record will open in a special mini-browser inside of the messenger, and not in a separate web browser, for example, in Opera. This reduces the time for downloading and viewing content, and the power consumption is reduced, because third-party software for surfing on the Internet is much stronger than the battery.
Correctly Android WebView only works on Android 5.0 and newer. On earlier versions, the application is also installed, but not adapted, so errors often occur when it is used. In addition, on old OS WebView was not updated, which influenced the performance of the smartphone (tablet), because led to the consumption of a large amount of RAM.
Starting withAndroid 7.0, WebView does not fulfill its tasks: Instead, it is used to open Internet pages Chrome. However, if you turn off the web browser from the Google, the system component will start working back to full. Later, in Android 10 and the newer, the functional separation occurred, therefore WebView began to work as usual.
If you are disabled this system component, you will find problems with opening web pages. To solve problems, you must run it again. You can make it using the instructions below.
Enable WebView on Android 5.0 to 7.0
On smartphones and tablets with Android 5.0 and later (up to 7.1 ), as well as in versions starting from 10, the application is enabled in the device settings. Instructions:
Step 1. Open "Settings".
Step 2. Select the Apps & Notifications tab.
Step 3. Press "Show All Apps".
Step 4. In the right corner of the three-dot button menu, select "Show system apps".
Step 5. Find and click on "Android System WebView".
Step 6. On the page that opens, select "Enable".
The application will start. The problems that bothered the user will be resolved, but you can optionally restart the smartphone.
The instruction is given on the example of a device with Android 10. On earlier versions of the operating system, the steps will be the same, but the names of the sections may differ slightly.
Disable Chrome and enable WebView on Android 7.1 - 9
If you have a smartphone based on Android 7.1 or later, up to version 9, you can enable WebView by disabling Google Chrome. To do this, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open Settings.
Step 2. Select Apps & Notifications.
Step 3. Press View All Apps.
Step 4. Find "Chrome" and click to go to the browser control page.
Step 5. Touch the Disable button.
Step 6. Stop the browser by confirming the action.
Now the browser is stopped and all software that used its capabilities will automatically be switched to work with WebView. If this does not happen, enable WebView manually using the instructions above. Before disabling Chrome, you will not be able to do this, because the button "Enable" will be inactive.
There is another way to enable WebView on Android 7.1-9. It is more complicated and does not always work, but it's worth trying it.
Step 1. Go to "Settings" Smartphone.
Step 2. Select the System tab.
Step 3. Open the section "On the phone".
Step 4. Find "assembly number" and click on it 7 times in a row.
Step 5. Enter the graphical key or password. A notification will appear: "You have become a developer!"
Step 6. Return to the previous menu. A new tab will appear in it - "for developers". Go to it.
Step 7. Find a section "Implementation of WebView".
Step 8. If the choice is available, change " Chrome" On "Android System WebView".
Step 9. Exit "for developers". It is better to turn it off, shifting the runner to the "OFF" in the upper part of the screen. If it is open, you can accidentally go to it and make any changes to the system work, which will result in errors and failures in the operation of the device. After this action, the tab will again disappear from the menu. If necessary, turn it on again with steps 4-5.
Next, check how WebView, opening the link in some application.
How to be, if you cannot enable WebView
If you turn on Android using the above instructions failed, try to restart the device. Perhaps a failure has occurred and restarting will solve the problem.
If you use Android 4.3-5.0, where the component was installed, but not adapted, and this led to errors in its operation, or if the reboot did not help you, follow the steps below.
First, it is necessary to make cache cleaning. To do this:
Step 1. Open "Settings", then "Appendices and Notifications".
Step 2. Select "Show all applications".
Step 3. In the menu with three-point buttons in the upper corner, select "Show system applications".
Step 4. Find "Android System WebView" and click on it.
Step 5. Select Storage & Cache.
Step 6 Press Clear Cache and Clear Storage.
Now try enabling the application again. If there is no result, check for updates. To do this:
Step 1. Open "Play Market".
Step 2. In the search bar at the top of the screen, click on the button with the first letter of your name and in the window that opens, select "Apps and device management".
Step 3. Go to the Updates Available tab.
Step 4. If there is "Android System WebView" in the opened window, use the button Refresh. If the process does not start, click on the application itself.
Step 5. Click Update on the system component page.
Step 6. Wait for the process to finish.
If there are no updates, then:
Step 1. In the settings, find "Android System WebView" and click on him.
Step 2. On the application page, click on the button with three dots at the top right and select "Uninstall updates".
Step 3. Restart your smartphone.
After starting, the update of the system component should occur automatically, if this did not happen, then follow the instructions above.
If the steps above do not work Android System WebView, try resetting the gadget to factory settings. It is possible that some errors or a serious failure occurred during its use, which led to damage to system components. Remember that resetting your smartphone will delete all personal data and files, so save them to another device or cloud first.
To summarize
Android System WebView is a system component, a kind of mini-browser that responds to for viewing web content in apps on your phone. On Android 5.0-7.0 and on 10 and later, if it is disabled, you can enable it in the device settings. On operating system versions from 7.1 to 9, you will need to stop Chrome that is running WebView, after which the system application will start automatically. If it doesn't, you can turn it on in your smartphone's settings. On Android 4.3-5.0, as well as in cases where the component cannot be enabled, try updating it, clearing the cache, restarting the device, and if all this does not work, reset the gadget to factory settings.
