Android 4.4 (KitKat) includes Chromium-powered web view

[AshleyScirra]

From http://developer.android.com/about/versions/kitkat.html:

 

 

Android 4.4 includes a completely new implementation of WebView that's based on Chromium. The new Chromium WebView gives you the latest in standards support, performance, and compatibility to build and display your web-based content.

Chromium WebView provides broad support for HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It supports most of the HTML5 features available in Chrome for Android 30. It also brings an updated version of the JavaScript Engine (V8) that delivers dramatically improved JavaScript performance.

In addition, the new Chromium WebView supports remote debugging using Chrome DevTools. For example, you can use Chrome DevTools on your development machine to inspect, debug, and analyze your WebView content live on a mobile device.

The new Chromium WebView is included on all compatible devices running Android 4.4 and higher. You can take advantage of the new WebView right away, and with minimum modifications to existing apps and content. In most cases, your content will migrate to the new implementation seamlessly.

 

 

The bad news, from https://developers.google.com/chrome/mobile/docs/webview/overview:

 

 

Chrome for Android supports a few features which aren't enabled in the WebView, including:

• WebGL 3D canvas
• WebRTC
• WebAudio
• Fullscreen API
• Form validation

 

So that means it's not great for games: no WebGL, and without the Web Audio API, I think that means you're limited to HTML5 audio which can only play in touch events. In other words, little-to-no audio, as far as games are concerned.

 

Also it is still tied to the Android OS, so won't be on the six-weekly update schedule... so Chrome will start to fragment

 

On the other hand it's a big step in the right direction! I assume the canvas2d is hardware accelerated, so it's already a big jump up from the software rendered webview. This is probably huge for PhoneGap app developers since Chromium is so far better than the old webview. But for games I imagine it'd still be best to use a wrapper, if only to get audio to play!

[rich]

I couldn't care less about the lack of WebRTC or Form validation, and I assume that if you're part of a native app anyway then the lack of the Fullscreen API hardly matters either. But no WebAudio is a real pain in the bum

[YellowAfterlife]

without the Web Audio API, I think that means you're limited to HTML5 audio which can only play in touch events.

Not to be confused with iOS - Android never had an equivalent security policy [like Apple does about loading media content] - sounds can be played anytime.

Though it's still not quite good without WebAudio support. I wonder what influenced the decision to exclude that from WebViews.

As Rich has mentioned, lack of fullscreen API doesn't matter much, as it is common to hide browser controls on in-app WebViews anyway.

At least there's going to be faster canvas and V8.

[AshleyScirra]

Not to be confused with iOS - Android never had an equivalent security policy [like Apple does about loading media content] - sounds can be played anytime.

Nope, they use the same policy as Apple. I just tried again: Chrome for Android on a Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android 4.2.2) cannot play HTML5 audio unless started in a touch event. It really sucks!

[PKrawczynski]

Considering that you recently removed fullscreen hacks in favour of fullscreen api it does really sucks as construct2 will have no way to play games with hidden browser bar, even though those hacks worked reliable and stable on ios and android since no client of mine ever reported any problems with that.

 

I pretty much dont update c2 since 146 release because of that. Could you maybe consider reimplementing that? I remember seeing message in update notes that you dropped those hacks because fullscreen api works on android and is far more reliable. Well as we see now even android doesnt really support fullscreen api I guess.

[poncle]

On 4.1.2 WebGL is available and games work great even on a GalaxyS2 on both Chrome and stock browser, so I don't get what that means, unless they are going backwards.

[rich]

poncle - this thread is about the web-view, i.e. when you make a native app on Android and use the web view component within it to display a web page (or game). So no, they're not removing WebGL from Chrome or anything. They just haven't added it to the version of Chrome that could benefit from it the most

[AshleyScirra]

@PKrawczynski - I tested the option on iOS and Android and it did nothing. At least Chrome for Android has the fullscreen API which works.

[PKrawczynski]

@PKrawczynski - I tested the option on iOS and Android and it did nothing. At least Chrome for Android has the fullscreen API which works.

 

Thats great because with those hacks enabled games Ive made play with hidden as much as possible browser elements, and without (after construct2 update) my clients asked me to fix and hide browser elements. I know you cant FULLY hide everything with hacks on iOS but its OKAY. Its better than not hiding anything at all wchich c2 does now. Dont get me wrong but if I was a new user and didnt knew to stay with 146 it would render whole software useless to me.

[sanmoy]

Apparently Google has killed html5 game development with this release. There was so much excitement that webview will be powered by chrome and there will be a significant boost in performance. But it seems, google is going backward with this release. html5 canvas is not hardware accelerated and as a result, canvas rendering is even poorer than ICS. Games/apps which rely on html5 canvas, are slowed down to death. And this phenomenon is so widespread !!

 

There are several bugs reported against android and chrome. 

https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=315111

https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=239864