With the Android System WebView component, Android applications can display web content inside of their applications directly inside the Android operating system. When you use an Android device, you have two options for viewing web content: A traditional web browser or a web view-based application.
But, many users reported that the Android System WebView wouldn’t update on their Android devices. However, after investigating this issue, our team found some fixes that will surely help you resolve if the Android System WebView won’t update. So, let’s check out what we get.
Why is Android System WebView Needed?
With Android System WebView, apps can display browser windows inside an app rather than requiring users to switch browsers. Whenever developers want to display webpages in their Google or other applications, they use WebView.
Ways to Fix Android System WebView Not Updating
In Android phones, webView comes pre-installed as part of the system application. Through it, third-party apps can display content in their in-app browsers. Therefore, it’s imperative to keep it up-to-date. However, updating becomes impossible when you attempt it. This is because every time you try to update it, the Android System WebView won’t update. But we have some fixes. So, let’s get started with them:
Reboot Your Device
There are chances that you may face this problem just because your device has some unwanted bug files or corrupted cache data that prevent Android System WebView from updating. Therefore, you must try rebooting your device as this will flush your device RAM, which gives it a fresh new start to function properly.
Try After Some Time
Possibilities are there that you may face this issue just because of some random errors caused by the developer’s end. So, it is better to leave it for some time and try updating it again. It may be possible that after some time, it will start working again.
Clear the Cache File of PlayStore
You can remove all caches and data from Google Play Store by clearing the cache and data. It’s usually recommended to clear the cache for other apps rather than the data, as the two are different.
However, the act is that clearing storage would also remove the app’s data, which would result in the app not functioning. Nevertheless, this case has no such connection with Play Store.
It doesn’t matter what you do if you clear the data or storage for Play Store. There is no need to uninstall your installed apps, and you won’t lose the data associated with them. Furthermore, files and contacts will be recovered. Your phone can only do that after you remove the Google account.
When you clear Play Store data, you will only reset the settings in Play Store, such as notifications, auto-updates, parental controls, and more.
- Go to your service’s Settings and tap on Apps.
- You can now view all recently opened apps by tapping on See all Apps.
- You will need to open the Google PlayStore app once you have navigated to it.
- Choose Clear Data on the Google PlayStore app information page.
- Next, select Clear data and Clear Cache.
- Once you’ve updated Chrome and Android Webview, open the Google PlayStore again.
Check the Internet Connection
You may have an issue with your system not updating if your internet connection is unstable. Furthermore, some apps may use a lot of data while running if your internet connection is fast. Therefore, you must check if any background apps are consuming your data and resources. It is, however, a good idea to close any application that seems to be of this type if you find any.
Disable Auto-Update
It may be the reason behind the error if the auto-update feature is enabled on your device. It’s good to set the apps to manually install updates instead of auto-updating them.
- You can launch the Google Play Store by tapping the Profile icon near the top of the screen.
- Select My apps & devices from the new side menu that appears.
- You can now stop all the apps from updating by tapping Stop or Cancel All; it will bring out each app’s update status.
- You then need to update only Google Chrome and the Android web viewer to fix the issue.
- You should check whether the issue gets resolved or not.
Reinstall the Update
You may need to check the Android Webview application for a problem. Therefore, it would be best to uninstall the app in such a case for your own assurance. Due to the fact that it is a built-in application on the Android system, you are not able to uninstall it directly. It is also, unfortunately, not possible to uninstall the system Webview application. However, there is no need to worry! It is still possible to reset the app to its factory version and update it again.
- Using your device’s Google PlayStore, search for Android System Webview.
- After that, tap on uninstall since it will only uninstall updates.
- Then, reinstall Webview.
Now, the issue is usually resolved more quickly. However, if you still need help resolving the problem and continue not updating Webview in PlayStore, here are a few more options.
Force Stop the Android Webview App
As we usually experience with Windows OS, apps running in the background won’t update. However, with Android, it’s difficult to discern whether or not the Android Webview app is running. For that reason, force-stopping the Android Webview application may help you fix the problem.
- Navigate to the Settings app. Next, click on Apps.
- To view the full list of installed apps, tap on the See all apps tab.
- Now, tap on the three dots in the right corner to access the menu.
- Then, click Show System to view the available apps.
- From the list, select Android System WebView.
- Afterward, click force stop to stop the Webview app’s running process.
This is also where you can clear the Storage cache. Once this is done, try to update the Android System Webview app from the Playstore and see if it resolves the issue.
Exit From Beta testing
Google, however, offers users beta testing options. Those who are unfamiliar with beta testing should know that it’s a process where users can test out upcoming features and updates before they are released. There may be some random bugs in the new beta update, so if you are a beta tester, you should stop using it and use the official Android Webview app instead.
- You can find Android System Webview by searching in the Google PlayStore on your device.
- Scroll down until you find joining the beta.
- Tap on Leave below Joining Beta.
- In order to do this, uninstall the update and reinstall it.
Sum Up
So, that’s how to fix if the Android System WebView won’t update on your device. We hope that the fixes we have mentioned earlier in this article has helped you. But, in case you are still getting the same issue, contact the Android support team and ask for help. Meanwhile, for further info, comment below and let us know.
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Thank you taking your time to address this web view issue and how to fix it.