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I would like to get rid of the stock browser (org.lineageos.jelly) on my phone that runs LineageOS. Other threads and sites already go into the details of removing pre-installed apps with/without root but I am wondering if there are any risks of removing the browser in particular? For instance, is the Android System WebView implementation in any way tied to the stock browser? (I'd still want to be able to use apps that use WebView.) More generally, is there anything else I'd affect by removing the stock browser?

balu
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    Installing aroma variant gapps of opengapps.org will overwrites with current AOSP/Lineage stock apps with that of Google's. That means default dialer will change to google phone, browser will change to chrome. etc – Rahul Gopi May 07 '19 at 15:54
  • That's good to know. However, I'm not using gapps at all, so in my case that wouldn't be an issue. – balu May 07 '19 at 16:18
  • On the Developer settings page you can change the app that provides the WebView implementation. Apps that can provide the WebView is e.g. Google Chrome (can be installed from Play Store). – Robert May 07 '19 at 16:39
  • Does your comment imply that the stock browser indeed contains the WebView implementation? As for installing a different browser like Chrome, that's not an option in my case because I don't want to have any browser on this particular device. (Don't want any distractions etc.) As an alternative to Chrome, wouldn't it be possible to merely install Android System WebView from the Play Store as a standalone application or would this include a browser, too? – balu May 07 '19 at 16:47
  • As for the developer settings, that's indeed how I realized that I might remove WebView if I remove the stock browser. :) – balu May 07 '19 at 16:49
  • As a follow-up to my other comment: I just installed the PlayStore version of System WebView and it indeed shows up as a separate option in the developer settings and does not include a browser. So I suppose indirectly removing WebView by removing the stock browser is not an issue as it can always be reinstalled separately. – balu May 07 '19 at 16:55
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    The System Webview app is outdated technology from Android 5.x. Currently it is AFAIK still supported by Google but in general it would recommend not to use it anymore. It has been replaced by the WebView implementation from the selected web browser app. – Robert May 07 '19 at 17:06
  • That's good to know, thank you! By "selected web browser app" do you mean the default browser? Also, I suppose that means I have to have a browser installed if I want WebView to work? – balu May 07 '19 at 22:10
  • On a different note, I just removed the Jelly browser but the Android System WebView entry in the developer settings is still there, so I suppose WebView is not tied to the Jelly.apk. – balu May 07 '19 at 22:12

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I ended up going ahead and just removed the Jelly browser – initially manually by using TWRP's file manager and later – since it came back when I updated the system afterwards (duh) – using a handy flashable zip that I got from LOSdiet. So far, so good. Everything seems to work fine.

As for WebView, the Android System WebView entry in the developer settings is still there, so I suppose WebView is not tied to the Jelly.apk. Indeed, the LOSdiet site github.io page as well as the old CyanogenMod "barebones" wiki page indicate that the default (pre-installed) WebView is a separate .apk.

balu
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    +1 for the testing. As you noticed, the browser is a separate app and it's installed anew every time you update your system. To avoid that, you can either create an addon.d script that removes the app after each update or, if you use Magisk, pick the Debloater module. – Grimoire May 08 '19 at 11:57
  • Yup, that's exactly what the LOSdiet zip does – it installs an addon.d script that makes sure Jelly is gone upon every boot-up. – balu May 08 '19 at 12:02