In August of this year, Adobe officially disabled new installs of Flash on Android devices, completing a shut-down process they announced back in November of 2011. By doing so, Adobe has effectively cut off Flash functionality on mobile devices.

The Future of Web Browsing

This shouldn’t come as any surprise, as Apple never embraced Flash with their iOS devices. And considering Apple’s continued (but slipping) dominance of mobile browsing (60.31% in October, according to www.netmarketshare.com), web developers quickly came to favor HTML5.

Although Adobe will continue to support Flash on PC and Mac, the market’s continued move towards mobile web browsing means it has immediately become important to avoid Flash for most web features. Flash photo slideshows, games, and animation elements will no longer be compatible, so for those who don’t have devices that display Flash, those static images that appear will be the norm for the vast majority of mobile device users.

Luckily, there are already numerous tools available for duplicating Flash features in HTML5. Here is an example of a photo slideshow we recently updated for a client to guarantee compatibility on devices that don’t support Flash:

http://www.stoddard.com

For another great example of an animation done in HTML5 instead of Flash, check out Warren Adler’s The War of the Roses page – and turn your speakers up!

If your website still utilizes Flash technology and you’re looking for an updated strategy, feel free to contact Dynamics Online.
Kirk Hiner is the E-Commerce Solutions Manager at Dynamics Online. You can reach him by calling (216) 292-4410.