Android's Chrome finish comes too late for Flash coating

Adobe confirms Flashless browsing

Google may have got its Chrome browser running on Android, but Adobe is standing by its decision not to port Flash to any new mobile browsers, not even Chrome.

Flash content works fine in Android's embedded browser, and Adobe has previously said that it will be porting Flash to Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich), but that port will be limited to supporting the embedded browser, not the new beta – and desktop-integrated – Chrome.

Ars Technica spotted the omission, and Adobe has clarified its position in explicitly stating that the beta version of Chrome doesn't support Flash content, and that Adobe has no intention of making that happen. Adobe sees its future in helping people make money from content, rather than helping to distribute it, so the software biz has no interest in creating more versions of its Flash player.

That's not to say Google couldn't decide to port Flash, as RIM has said it intends to do. Adobe happily supports such efforts, though it would prefer to see the world moving to more open standards for playback.

Google's video promoting Chrome on Android shows a YouTube video playing back, which is fine as long as that video isn't copy-protected in any way. Try to watch an episode of Spaced or Father Ted and you'll need to use the default browser (or a specialist app, if you're on iOS which has never supported Flash).

Channel 4, like everyone else, will probably to find alternatives to Flash for secure distribution, and well before Google decides to make Chrome the default option on all Android handsets. ®