Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- Android 15 Developer Preview 1 is locking an important working component of the Android System WebView into memory.
- This will prevent the Android system from killing the process and restarting it frequently.
- Many apps use WebView to display webpages and other internet content, and this change could improve how they work.
Android 15 is the next big update for the smartphone platform, and we’re slowly getting more information on the changes it brings. One of the more important changes that Android 15 could bring is the ability for the system to pin Android’s WebView to memory, consequently speeding up apps that rely on WebView for functioning.
Before understanding the change, we need to understand what WebView is and why it is important. WebView, also known as the Android System WebView, is the part of the Android OS that many apps tap into to display a webpage. Apps that want to display a webpage do not need to build a full internet browser, as they can call upon the Android System WebView to display web content.