Google says it has fixed a WebView problem that caused Gmail, Google Play, and other apps to crash
here's how to fix it (Updated) John Diente / International Business Times : Gmail, Android Apps Keep Crashing; Google Identifies Root Cause: Here's What You Can Do Surur / MSPoweruser : Google is working on fix for Webview-related Android app crash, here's the workaround: Update - Fix released Paul E King / Pocketables : Apps suddenly crashing left and right? Android System WebView probably to blame (with potentially easy fix) JC Torres / SlashGear : Android apps crashing blamed on WebView, here's the quick fix Tweets: Richard Lawler / @rjcc : @Techmeme It should be resolved now FYI, just grab the latest updates for System WebView and Chrome from the Play Store. https://www.engadget.com/... @duckduckgo : We're aware of reports of apps crashing on Android including DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser. This is caused by a Google update which they're working on and a fix should be released soon. In the meantime, @9to5Google has a suggested workaround. https://9to5google.com/... Frank / @frank_supercell : We know that some of you are experiencing crashes for @BrawlStars and other games. The issue seems to be Google related but we are also looking into possible workarounds/solutions on our end. Hang in there! 👊 #google #android #appcrash https://theverge.com/... Richard Lawler / @rjcc : If you use Android and apps like Gmail have suddenly started crashing or won't open, uninstall the latest updates to “android system webview” and that might fix it. https://twitter.com/... @royaleapi : If you're on Android and your game is not opening, uninstalling the latest update to a system app called “Android System WebView” should solve the issue. Google is aware of the issue and they're working on a fix. https://twitter.com/... @engadget : Google has released a fix for the System WebView crashes in Android apps including Gmail. According to Google, if you install the latest updates for WebView and Chrome on your device from the Play Store, that should clear up any issues. https://www.engadget.com/... @upstox : We've noticed that a few of our users are experiencing issues while accessing the Upstox app on their Android mobile phones. This is due to temporary issues from Google. Kindly access Upstox from your laptop/desktop: https://pro.upstox.com/. Read more https://www.theverge.com/... 1/n
Context & Ripple Effects
Android apps that embed Google’s WebView have previously been exposed to update failures: Google halted the Chrome 79 rollout after a misconfiguration affected data in WebView-using apps. The current repair restores a shared component whose failure cut across Google’s own apps and third-party Android software; related coverage later records an audit and planned WebView Safe Mode.
First-order effects
- Google’s WebView and Chrome updates restore Gmail, Google Play, and other affected Android apps for users able to install the fixes.
- Android developers whose apps rely on System WebView no longer have to direct users to temporary workarounds for the crash outbreak.
Second-order effects
- The incident puts Google’s update and rollback process under pressure because one WebView release can simultaneously disrupt Google services and independent Android apps.
- The planned WebView audit and Safe Mode shift more failure containment into Google’s shared platform layer, rather than leaving each app developer to manage a platform-wide outage.
Third-order effects
- Repeated WebView incidents reinforce Android’s dependency on a Google-maintained component: app reliability is increasingly tied to the release discipline of the platform gatekeeper.
- If Safe Mode becomes a durable safeguard, Android’s shared web runtime will be managed more like critical infrastructure, with isolation mechanisms limiting the blast radius of faulty updates.
The trend: Android’s modular shared components are improving update reach while concentrating outage risk in Google-controlled platform services.