How to fix failing WebView calls

Question

How to fix failing WebView calls

Moshe Raab, PhD 241

i wrote a MAUI app using Visual Studio that seems to have a problem on older android devices.

I think the problem may have something to do with the WebView because that is where it seems to fail. the app loads but when WebView is called the app just closes but seems to be in the background

I know that the app works correctly on the devices with config:

One UI version 8.5

Android version 16

Kernel Version 6.6.98

Android System WebView Version 150.7871.124

But does not work on

One UI version 8.5

Android version 16

Kernel Version 5.15.89

Android System WebView Version 150.7871.46

any ideas or suggestions?

0 comments

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

For older Android devices, start by treating this as an Android WebView component issue rather than a MAUI setting issue.

Update Android System WebView on the failing device.
- Open Play Store.
- Search for Android System WebView.
- Install the latest update.
Update Google Chrome on the failing device.
- In Play Store, search for Google Chrome.
- Install the latest update.
Re-test the app after both updates.
- The documented Android WebView issue can cause apps that depend on WebView to crash on launch or when WebView is used.
- Since the failing device has an older Android System WebView build (150.7871.46) than the working device (150.7871.124), updating WebView is the first check.
If remote debugging is being used for diagnosis, make sure WebView debugging is enabled before the WebView loads.
- Call SetWebContentsDebuggingEnabled(true) before the WebView is loaded.
- Verify the #if DEBUG directive is active for the debug build.

The supported guidance in the available documentation is to update Android System WebView and Google Chrome when WebView-related crashes occur on Android.

Answer 2

Nancy Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 8,155 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello @Moshe Raab, PhD ,

Thanks for your question.

The app closing unexpectedly to the background may be caused by a graphics rendering conflict with the older kernel version or a bug in the outdated Android System WebView app.

You can refer to try to following approaches:

First, please try to have the device user open the Google Play Store and update the Android System WebView application to the newest version.

If updating the device is not an option, you can modify your MAUI app to use software rendering for the WebView. You can add the following code to your MauiProgram.cs file to customize the Android handler:

#if ANDROID
Microsoft.Maui.Handlers.WebViewHandler.Mapper.AppendToMapping("DisableHardwareAcceleration", (handler, view) =>
{
    handler.PlatformView.SetLayerType(Android.Views.LayerType.Software, null);
});
#endif

Please note that using software rendering instead of hardware acceleration may result in lower WebView performance. I recommend applying this workaround conditionally (for example, only for specific device models or configurations experiencing the crash) so that it does not degrade the experience for all users on newer devices.

For more information on how to customize native controls using handlers, you can review Customize controls with handlers.

Please try and let me know if it works. I'd be happy to investigate further if needed.

I hope this addresses your question. If this response was helpful, please consider following the guidance to provide feedback. Thank you.

Moshe Raab, PhD 241 Reputation points

2026-07-24T10:06:02.7433333+00:00

Thank you for your speedy answers. much appreciated!

i found another device with the same problem, except this one had an updated WebView: 150.7871.124 like the other devices that worked.

I updated chrome, but still have the same problem.

i attached the debug log from the second before the problem is started, if that helps debug.txt
Nancy Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 8,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-27T06:40:27.3366667+00:00
Hi @Moshe Raab, PhD ,

Thanks for your update.

The application crash may be related to low device memory. The debug log shows a "mem-pressure-event". This indicates the system ran out of memory and forcefully closed the application. This action resulted in an android.os.DeadObjectException.

You can try to optimize the application to use less memory. This may include loading simpler web content, clearing the WebView cache, or destroying the WebView when it is not in use.

When the user leaves the page, you can disconnect the native handler. This tells the system to release the heavy native browser component.

protected override void OnDisappearing() { base.OnDisappearing(); if (myWebView.Handler != null) { myWebView.Handler.DisconnectHandler(); } }

If your WebView uses events, you can unsubscribe from them when closing the page to prevent memory leaks.

protected override void OnDisappearing() { base.OnDisappearing(); myWebView.Navigating -= MyWebView_Navigating; myWebView.Navigated -= MyWebView_Navigated; }

You can clear the native Android web storage to free up disk and RAM space during heavy usage.

#if ANDROID public void ClearWebViewCache() { Android.Webkit.WebStorage.Instance.DeleteAllData(); Android.Webkit.CookieManager.Instance.RemoveAllCookies(null); } #endif

Hope this helps.
Nancy Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 8,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-29T02:42:21.2233333+00:00

Hi,

I wonder if there is any update on this post. If you have any question, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to support you.
Nancy Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 8,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-31T02:53:42.2533333+00:00

Since I haven’t received any recent updates, I’ll go ahead and close this thread for now. If you still need assistance, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’ll be happy to help.

Thank you.