Android Browser (AOSP)

Android's original “Internet” browser (WebKit), deprecated as of Android 4.2 in favor of Chrome; the WebView switched to Blink with Android 4.4.

Facts

Developer

Google

Website

—

Engines

WebKitBlink (WebView)

Platforms

Android

Popularity

89/100

Lineage

Derived browsers (1)

Steel

Key versions

1. Sept. 23, 2008
   Android 1.0WebKitOriginal WebKit browser: full HTML pages, zoom and multiple pages shown as “cards”.[1]
2. Apr. 27, 2009
   Android 1.5 CupcakeNew SquirrelFish JavaScript engine, copy and paste, and find in page.[2]
3. Oct. 27, 2009
   Android 2.0 EclairHTML5 support, refreshed UI with bookmark thumbnails and double-tap zoom.[3]
4. May 20, 2010
   Android 2.2 FroyoIntegration of Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine.[4]
5. Feb. 22, 2011
   Android 3.0 HoneycombOn tablets, tabs replace windows and an incognito mode is added.[5]
6. Oct. 18, 2011
   Android 4.0 Ice Cream SandwichUpdated WebKit and V8, sync with Chrome, desktop-site mode and offline reading.[6]
7. Nov. 13, 2012
   Android 4.2 Jelly BeanThe browser is officially deprecated in favor of Google Chrome.[7]
8. Oct. 31, 2013
   Android 4.4 KitKatBlink (WebView)The system WebView component moves to a Chromium version with the Blink engine.[8]

Version sources: [1] Android version history (Wikipedia en), [2] Android Cupcake (Wikipedia en), [3] Android Eclair (Wikipedia en), [4] Android Froyo (Wikipedia en), [5] Android Honeycomb (Wikipedia en), [6] Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Wikipedia en), [7] Android Jelly Bean (Wikipedia en), [8] Android KitKat (Wikipedia en)

Sources

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Jelly_Bean
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_KitKat
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Browser
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Browser