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Flash not supported in Jelly Bean, will be pulled from Play

Flash player is drifting away from Android, as Adobe confirms Android 4.1 won't have Flash support.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read

Flash is waving a tearful farewell to Android, with Adobe confirming that it won't be supporting Flash Player on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and furthermore will be blocking people from installing Flash Player from mid-August.

On its blog, the company behind Photoshop confirms that Jelly Bean kit won't get Flash support, matter-of-factly writing, "We have not continued developing and testing Flash player for this new version of Android and its available browser options."

From 15 August, Adobe is going to limit access to Flash Player updates to devices that already have the Player installed. That means that if you don't have the app installed by then, you won't be able to get it.

Moreover, Adobe warns that when devices get updated from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to 4.1 Jelly Bean, the player "may exhibit unpredictable behaviour, as it is not certified for use with Android 4.1". Adobe recommends uninstalling Flash before upgrading your phone or tablet to Jelly Bean.

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Xoom or Google Nexus S you should take note, as these are gadgets that Google has confirmed to receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in mid-July.

Flash comes pre-installed on many current smart phones, but it looks like this won't continue, as Flash -- once one of Android's biggest selling points -- continues its quiet exit from Google's operating system.

Apple denied Flash access to its own iOS platform from day one, something that forced many websites to switch to HTML5 to ensure anyone browsing on an iPhone or iPad could still watch video. It looks like this is one battle Apple has won.

Will you miss Flash on Android? Or is it time that the Player slipped quietly away? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.