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The new Google Play Developer Program Policies state that it is no longer allowed to publish web browsers that are based on WebView:
Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to:
Provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)
I was thinking of developing a WebView-based web browser but now I see that this is no longer allowed.
Frankly, I find it insane to ask every website in existence for permission to display its content via a WebView based browser.
What are my options? Is there an alternative web kit that is as powerful as WebView?
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Alternatives to WebView If you want to send users to a mobile site, build a progressive web app (PWA). If you want to display third-party web content, send an intent to installed web browsers. If you want to avoid leaving your app to open the browser, or if you want to customize the browser's UI, use Custom Tabs.
It's worth pointing out that you can't uninstall Android System WebView, since it's a system app. You can, however, uninstall updates for it.
Some apps were crashing for Android users, but Google has fixed it. The issue was due to a system component called Android System WebView that lets Android apps display web content. Google now has a fix that requires users to update Android System WebView to version 89.0.
With the release of Android 5.0, Google separated WebView from the core OS. With this change, WebView updates could be distributed through the Google Play Store app, and users could update WebView independently of the OS.
It doesn't say you're not allowed to make a browser.
It says, that you're not allowed to make an app which merely is a WebView showing a website you do not own, and don't have permission from the owners to make.
That is, I am not allowed to make a GMail app, which merely is a WebView showing the GMail mobile website.
One reason could be, that such an app provides nothing that a bookmark wouldn't. Another reason could be, that such an app may seem to the end user to be affiliated with the website it's embedding. If the app then added adverts, crashed or provided some kind of negative user experience, this could reflect poorly on the website being embedded.
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You totally missed the point, if you are making app that displays some site that you don't own then some users of that site will use your app instead of simple browsing to get information from that site.
Let's say that site has 3 pages
If you are showing page #3 from your app then users will not see ads from page 1. and 2. Which means that you are stealing that site's money.
And that's why you need permission from site owner.
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