Try out WebView Beta, Dev, or Canary

Using a pre-release channel of WebView allows you to test new, upcoming features and enhancements to WebView. This is especially useful for Android app developers who use WebView in their apps.

Which channel do I want?

Like Chrome, WebView has four release channels:

• Stable channel
  • Installed and updated by default on every Android device with WebView
  • Fully tested; least likely to crash or have other major bugs
  • Updated every 2-3 weeks with minor releases, and every 6 weeks with major releases
• Beta channel
  • Available on Android 5 (Lollipop) and later
  • Tested before release, but not as extensively as stable
  • One major update ahead of stable, minor updates every week
• Dev channel
  • Publicly available on Android 7 (Nougat) and later
  • Two major updates ahead of stable, representing what is actively being developed
  • Updated once per week
  • Minimally tested
• Canary build
  • Available on Android 7 (Nougat) and later
  • Released daily
  • Includes the latest code changes from the previous day
  • Has not been tested or used

If you're looking for a specific of version of chromium, the latest versions released to each channel can be found on Chromium Dash. WebView and Chrome for Android always release together on all OS levels.

On Android 7 (Nougat) and later, you can install multiple channels at the same time. This allows you to play with our latest code, while still keeping a tested version of WebView around.

How do I try a pre-release channel?

Steps depend on your version of Android:

Android 7 through 9 (Nougat/Oreo/Pie)

Pre-release channels must be downloaded and installed as separate apps, but one must be chosen to provide the system's WebView implementation at any given time.

1. Download a pre-release channel of Chrome from the play store, available here:

   • Chrome Beta
   • Chrome Dev
   • Chrome Canary

2. Follow the steps to enable Android's developer options menu

3. Choose Developer Options > WebView implementation (see figure)

   

4. Choose the Chrome channel that you would like to use for WebView

Returning to stable WebView

1. To return to WebView stable, select Chrome again in the WebView implementation menu

Android 5 or 6 (Lollipop/Marshmallow) and Android TV

Only one installation of WebView is allowed, but users can opt to receive the latest beta updates from the Play Store.

1. Join the beta tester program on Google Play
2. On your device, update Android System Webview in the Play Store
3. When the Play Store finishes updating, you will be using WebView beta!

Returning to stable WebView

1. Leave the tester program
2. Uninstall all updates by visiting Settings > Apps > Android System WebView > Three dots menu in the top right > Uninstall updates
3. Visit the Play Store page one more time to install the latest updates to WebView stable, which will include important security fixes.

Android 4.4 (KitKat) or earlier

WebView does not receive updates on these versions of Android, so the pre-release channels of WebView are not available.

Reporting problems with pre-release WebView

Any WebView-related bugs can be filed here.

To best enable us to resolve the issue, please ensure you provide all of the information requested in the bug report template.

Command line tools

Choosing your WebView implementation on Android 7 (Nougat) or later can also be done using adb, instead of the Settings UI:

adb shell cmd webviewupdate set-webview-implementation <packagename>

Package names are as follows:

App name	Package name
Chrome (stable)	com.android.chrome
Chrome Beta	com.chrome.beta
Chrome Dev	com.chrome.dev
Chrome Canary	com.chrome.canary

See also

• WebView channels in detail
• Chrome Release Channels
• WebView Release History