Apps suddenly crashing left and right? Android System WebView probably to blame (with potentially easy fix) – updated
If you’ve had a day of apps crashing for no reason, especially on Samsung devices, chances are pretty good it has something to do with Google’s Android System Webview and a recent update that probably just installed on your phone.
Updated March 23, 2021 – Google evidently released an update in the Play Store so perhaps just checking for updates will do right for you.
It appears to have downed a few of my apps, most notably that zombie game I play – Last Shelter. Uninstalling the latest update to Android System WebView fixed that instantly and from a user’s standpoint I see no difference in anything else on my phone.
You can uninstall updates via the link above assuming you’re viewing this on your phone (uninstalling from the Play Store will revert to the system one it looks like,) or go settings, apps, Android System Webview, and locate either uninstall updates or go to the Play Store from that link and uninstall.
Don’t disable it. Or do, just remember where to go to reenable it. Not going to promise this is a fix, but it’s a couple of taps and probably cannot hurt until Google gets around to fixing whatever broke.
Sources for this fix are Reddit, Twitter, Android Police, XDA. I will link them later, having unrelated browser issues at the moment.
Sorry for the late sourcing, really not my style but I didn’t plan to be writing about this at 10pm on a school night – here’s Android Police’s article, the reddit forum that was linked in both AP and Twitter. Failing hard at my XDA search tonight. Short of it is all the above other than the screenshot and link to the Play Store is other people’s work, credit them, I’m just passing along info and late sourcing it.
