Android 4.4+ KitKat ships with out Browser app, OEMs have to license Chrome or install their own

Android 4.4+ will ship with out any browser app pre-installed according to a developer (Maximiliano Firtman) on Twitter. The Android 4.4+ version won’t come with any browser and OEMs have to provide a browser of their own or ship an alternate one. They could license Chrome from though to ship with their mobiles.

But it is surprising as we though OEMs get license to use Google apps suite in their mobile along with the browser. As far as the tweet goes, he says “I had official confirmation: Android 4.4+ doesn’t ship with any browser, just the WebView. The emulator has it but not real devices. It’s up to each vendor to create a browser app using the WebView (such as Samsung) or to get license to preinstall Chrome.”

In the end it may not mean anything for users, as there are plenty of options out there, like Firefox for Android, Opera Mobile etc., also OEMs like Samsung don’t care as they have a suite of applications. Other OEMs might be happy to ship a browser probably through a deal with a browser maker.

Source: 1, 2

Comment Using Facebook