With the release of latest Android 4.4 Kitkat OS, Google officially parted ways with Adobe Flash. Jelly Bean OS (Android 4.3) didn’t really support Flash either but there were simpler workarounds and tweaks to enable Flash support on Android JellyBean. However, the latest iteration of Android OS completely ditches Adobe Flash in favour of HTML5. Many websites have also added HTML5 support while getting rid of an outdated flash experience but there is still a large number of websites that require Flash support. Specially, online video streaming websites and flash games like Amazon Instant, Miniclip, etc. In order to use these websites on your Android device (running Android KitKat 4.4 or higher) you need Adobe’s Flash Player.
By following the method below, you can easily install Flash Player on any Android KitKat device. You can check your device’s Android version by going to Settings > About Phone/Tablet > Android version. If it’s Android 4.4.X then it means your device is running Android KitKat. This method does not require your Android device to have root permissions.
Prerequisite
- Android device running Android KitKat OS 4.4+
- File explorer application like File Manager HD, etc. There are many free choices
- Internet connectivity.
- For this tutorial, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi (2012 model) running Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS.
- Dolphin Browser
Steps Overview
- Enable “Unknown Sources” on Android.
- Download and install Modded Adobe Flash Player APK.
- Download and install Dolphin Browser and Dolphin JetPack for Android.
- Enable Dolphin JetPack and Flash in Dolphin Browser.
- Test Flash Player.
Enable “Unknown Sources” on Android
If you don’t already have “Unknown Sources” enabled on your Android device then go to your tablet or smartphone’s Settings > Security. In the Security menu, you will find “Unknown Sources” which should be checked. This allows you to install APK files directly without using Google Play Store.
Download and install Modded Adobe Flash Player APK
Before downloading the Modded APK file, make sure that you don’t have any previous versions of Flash Player installed on your Android device, if you do, then uninstall any previous builds completely before proceeding. To uninstall an Android app, go to Settings > Apps and then locate the app you want to uninstall and tap it.
Now, simply hit uninstall button to get rid of it. Now, download the Modded Flash Player from Mediafire and install it. To install the APK file directly you will need a file Explorer app like File Manager HD. Open File Manager HD (or any other file explorer app), navigate to the “Downloads” folder and install the downloaded APK.
Download and install Dolphin Browser and Dolphin JetPack
You don’t need separate APK files for these apps because you can easily install the standard versions of Dolphin Browser and Dolphin JetPack from Google Play Store. In addition to supporting Flash, Dolphin JetPack will also boost Dolphin Browser’s browsing speed by up to 50%.
Enable Dolphin JetPack and Flash in Dolphin Browser
Finally, open Dolphin Browser and tap the small Dolphin icon in bottom-left corner and open Settings. Enable Dolphin JetPack in the Settings menu. Now, navigate to Web Content menu and turn Flash on, you can keep it as “always on” or “on demand” whichever suits your needs.
Test Flash Player
To test Flash Player on your Android device, you can either try the official Adobe Flash test or use any flash based website like Miniclip. If you’ve followed all the steps then these websites or any other flash based site should work smoothly. If it doesn’t then make sure you’ve followed all the steps carefully.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that this procedure will only enable Flash support in Dolphin Browser. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will not run any flash based website. There could be other obscure browsers that might work with this procedure but it has only been successfully tried and tested on Dolphin Browser.
Now you can enjoy using flash based websites on your Android smartphone or tablet. We’re not sure if this procedure will work for the upcoming Android L but it works 100% on Android KitKat. We’re certain that the hardworking developers over at XDA Forums will also come up with a new hack for upcoming Android iterations in the future.
Your Android device should now run all Flash based sites without any problem. Don’t forget to share your device model with us, if you’ve installed Flash using the above method. You can also share any other method for using Flash on Android or maybe, another browser. Thanks!
Filed in . Read more about Adobe Flash and Android.