Flash Is Dead: What Do I Do Next?

If you have a mobile device running Android 4.1, Adobe shares that there will be no support for Flash Player for Android 4.1.  Turns out that Steve Jobs was right when he called Flash a “relic” which is why it was never supported on and Apple’s “i” devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

flash is dead

Many website today still incorporate legacy Flash elements designed to originally enhance the visitor experience, however, it’s quickly become a liability for site owners because potential customers on the latest mobile and tablet devices running Android 4.1 or Apple’s iOS see broken on non-functional elements – OUCH.

What to do?

If you’re a general consumer, there are techniques to force an install of the Flash player on your latest device, but we wouldn’t recommend it.  One, because it’s complicated, and two because you might run into compatibility issues.  Yes, it’s an annoying hit for us as consumers with so much Flash being used but given enough time (and technology pressure), Flash will be removed and we’ll start seeing up to 100% of the content the site owner intended us to see.

Responsive web design

If you’re a website owner, consider updating your website’s Flash elements to HTML5. HTML5 is designed to provide almost anything a user wants online without any special browser plugins.  It’s also cross-platform compatible so it’ll work on your mobile device, tablet, laptop and even your smart television.  You might also wish to consider updating your website leveraging Responsive Web Design, whereby, one site is created with multiple display options to optimize each viewing device.

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