How to Install Flash Player on Android

  • Replies:36
Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
  • Forum posts: 1,110

Aug 14, 2013, 4:08:15 PM via Website

You can read our article on how to install Flash Player for Android here, or you can follow the simple steps below. Let us know if you have any problems.

On your device (doesn't matter what handset or Android version), go into Security settings and enable installation from 'Unknown Sources'. You might want to remember to turn this check box back off once installation is complete.

To avoid problems installing APKs directly from your handset, we suggest transferring the required file from a PC.

On your PC, go to Adobe's archived Flash Player version page and scroll down to Flash Player for Android 4.0 archives. Select the top one on the list and, once downloaded, transfer the file to your smartphone via USB cable or Bluetooth or whatever you like.

On your handset, open a File Manager of your choice and locate and launch the Flash Player APK. Click 'Install' and that's it, you're done. Your mobile web browser needs to be able to handle Flash content however, and Chrome for Android does not (and never will), so use an alternative like Mozilla Firefox or Dolphin Browser when surfing Flash content. (Dolphin Browser first needs to have Flash content enabled however, via Settings > Page content settings > Flash Player -> Always on).

If you experience any problems, have any questions or come across anything else worth sharing, this is the forum to do it!

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2
Mark Ostroff
  • Forum posts: 4

Aug 15, 2013, 6:21:00 AM via Website

Kris,

I went to the Archive Site on my PC and downloaded the most recent Android Flash distribution file, but what I got was a ZIP file, not an APK file. SO now what?

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Gaylesheerin 2
Gaylesheerin
  • Forum posts: 7

Aug 15, 2013, 11:57:33 AM via Website

First you need a android 4.0+ phone to run flash player, can't run on android 2.3 or 2.2 lol

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 15, 2013, 12:07:31 PM via Website

Well the Adobe site (the link above, in the original post) also has Flash Player APKs for Android 2 and 3, but I have no idea if they work as we don't have any devices running those versions anymore!

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Mark Ostroff
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Aug 15, 2013, 2:10:57 PM via Website

Kris, I did download the ANDROID 4 file and it was a ZIP, not an APK.

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 15, 2013, 3:07:49 PM via Website

Hmm, that's strange. On the list I have all the Flash Player for Android files are APKs, and the other versions for PC are ZIPs. Have you opened the zip file? Perhaps for some strange reason the APK is downloading in a zip file to your computer?

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Mark Ostroff
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Aug 15, 2013, 3:28:54 PM via Website

Yep, opened the ZIP and it is a regular ZIP with normal PC type files in it. Tried downloading next older file and got the same. The mouse-over text SAYS it is an APK file but clicking on the link downloads a ZIP!! Huh???

Will try a different browser and see if that helps.

— modified on Aug 15, 2013, 3:31:25 PM

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2
Mark Ostroff
  • Forum posts: 4

Aug 15, 2013, 3:34:55 PM via Website

Well, that was the problem. Tried using Chrome and got an APK file as expected. Moral - NEVER use IE for anything important. Apparently either IE or the Adobe site sees IE and decides "Oh, you didn't really want the Android version, so I'll just automatically download the IE version for you anyway." Arrrgggg!!!

— modified on Aug 15, 2013, 3:36:27 PM

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 15, 2013, 3:36:47 PM via Website

Hmm, curioser and curioser. I downloaded it in Chrome and Firefox and it was an APK in both, and it sounds like you're definitely downloading the right file. Let me know how your alternate browser efforts go.

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HowDoYouAndroid.com 10
HowDoYouAndroid.com
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Aug 15, 2013, 4:40:48 PM via Website

I've already got flash, so I'm not adding any value to this discussion -- just had to input my respect for the Alice in Wonderland reference. :)

HowDoYouAndroid.com

Kris Carlon

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1
Bill Kraski
  • Forum posts: 1

Aug 16, 2013, 4:48:12 PM via Website

IE works fine to get the apk. On the other hand, Chrome tried to tell me I didn't need it because I already had a flash plugin installed. ?????

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 16, 2013, 5:48:56 PM via Website

Hi Bill, that's the funny part, the Chrome browser on your PC has Flash support, so somehow that means that you couldn't possibly be interested in Flash for any other device! I noticed the same thing when I visited the site too. Of course, that's only if you click Downloads > Flash player. You can still navigate to the archived page yourself though.

And thanks for the Lewis Carroll kudos, the whole thing was sounding like too much nonsense and it seemed appropriate!

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Bill Wheel
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Aug 18, 2013, 6:34:57 PM via Website

I had no problem in following your clear instructions and was able to download and install the latest flash. However I am finding that my Dolphin Browser is continually crashing whenever I try to view a flash file, and requires a 'force stop' to restart Dolphin - are others experiencing this problem?

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Mark Line
  • Forum posts: 8

Aug 19, 2013, 8:43:00 AM via Website

It is very simple download android version Flash play and run it and look on you screen what information you have provide that and after some time you have successfully install your flash player on you android,Yes I think its different version of flash player for android. thank you .

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 19, 2013, 10:55:16 AM via Website

Hi Bill, it seems since Dolphin HD stopped supporting Flash last year there's been some issues with crashing. You can solve the problem by using a slightly older version of Dolphin browser, the APK is here. As I recall Opera also supports Flash content, so you try that too. Let me know if this works for you.

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Tom Mitchell
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Aug 20, 2013, 9:29:01 AM via Website

I installed adobe flash on my galaxy note 10.1 and opened Firefox. When I try to stream a movie I still get a no flash player installed. Do I need to do something else?

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 20, 2013, 10:29:26 AM via Website

Hi Tom, have you checked your plug-in is enabled? Just go into Tools > Add-ons > Plugins and make sure that Flash Player is in the list and turned on. If it's not in the list then Firefox has not picked up on the install, meaning the file you installed is in a spot Firefox doesn't know to look for.

— modified on Aug 20, 2013, 11:53:57 AM

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Deactivated Account
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Aug 20, 2013, 11:07:36 AM via App

Friends don't let friends use Flash!

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Tom Mitchell
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Aug 21, 2013, 12:28:57 AM via Website

OK I went to tool>add-on but there is no plugins after that. I went to settings>plugins and they were disabled so I enabled them. I went back to tools>adons and the flash is not there. I located it in the same place as all the other apps. Do I need to change the location and if so How do I do that. I have never used an android device for much more then checking email and such so this is pretty unfamiliar to me. So please remember that you instructions would need to be pretty specific.
You said to go to tools>addons>plug-ins but I could only go tools>addons and then it showed a list of addons but no flash player.

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Tom Mitchell
  • Forum posts: 3

Aug 21, 2013, 12:35:48 AM via Website

I might add that I loaded the file on my external micro SD card and installed from there. Could this be the problem. Like I said the flash file shows up when I go to settings>apps and when I go to my application manager it says the app is running.

— modified on Aug 21, 2013, 12:37:50 AM

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Aug 21, 2013, 11:00:18 AM via Website

Hey Tom, my bad, I just gave you the path for PC off the top of my head, not Android! Sorry for the confusion, but you figured it out fine on your own. If you go to Settings > Plugins and Enable them, that should be all you have to do (you can of course, leave it as ''tap to use'' which means you'll see the little grey box wherever Flash content appears and you just tap the box to launch the Flash plugin, but this is pretty clumsy). Even after the plugin is installed it won't appear in the Add-ons tab (shown below for other readers' reference):

After I did that Flash started working. Not immediately mind you. I first opened Firefox and had the same problem as you did, then I opened the Flash Player Settings app that you may not have seen was installed when you downloaded the plugin in another browser (because it would not display in Firefox yet). I set my preferences there and when I exited and relaunched Firefox it was working.

Try this (not very technical, I know!) process and see if it works for you too. It may just have been a simple matter of waiting a short while after install for it to take hold as I can't really see how setting preferences would make a difference! You can go to this test site to see Flash content and ensure it's working: http://www.chemgapedia.de/vsengine/info/en/help/requirements/flash.html

— modified on Aug 21, 2013, 11:04:11 AM

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G. Nelson L.
  • Forum posts: 1

Sep 7, 2013, 6:29:54 AM via Website

Hi, Kris. My problem seems most similar to Tom's.

I'm using an ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T with Android ver. 4.2.1 and the Firefox 2.2 browser.

I somehow missed your latest answer to Tom, so I've withdrawn earlier questions.

After trying your latest suggestions, it works! Sort of. Well, in some places: on the Player Test Site and a few others, but all I get on a number of others is an error message about the file being corrupted or, if I open Flash directly, I see: "A plugin is needed to display this content."

Thanks!

— modified on Sep 7, 2013, 7:04:29 AM

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Steve W.
  • Forum posts: 2

Sep 18, 2013, 6:34:42 AM via Website

I followed your directions for my new Tab 3 (SM-T310) which is using 4.2.2 I could not get the Flash Player to work using Firefox :(
What can I try?
--------------------------------------
IT work great (in the morning when I re-powered it)
Tested on several Flash Player sites and then when I gave it back to my 12 year old grandson, he was able to log on the the Palm Breach County School District Web Site (every thing is Flash Player) it work better that the families lap top.

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7
Deactivated Account
  • Forum posts: 72

Nov 12, 2013, 11:15:23 AM via Website

I've always missed flash !! well now its available for Android !! luv it thanks for sharing admin :wub::wub:

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1
Dewi-G-
  • Forum posts: 1

Dec 6, 2013, 12:16:42 AM via Website

Hey Kris, I am having nothing but problems here, I have downloaded the latest version of flash (.81) I have tried the dolphin browser with the jetpack extension installed on my device also firefox and firefox beta, nothing seems to get flash running on any test page I go to, in any browsers at all.
I just cant seem to get any luck... you did say you could open the settings in 'another browser' i can see yhe icon and that it has installed but which browser did you use as with all the browsers on my tablet I get the same grey screen with no info apart from firefox beta, which shows a jigsaw/lego like piece saying 'an addon is needed to run this' and when I click, no further options or anything appear.... I have checked other forums and it seems to be an ongoing problem with the 10.1 samsung tab 3 so do you think its this tablet or am I missing something?!?

Cheers in advance for any help!

edit#
Forgot to mention I have also tried the previous 2 editions from the adobe site and left it over night and also powered off and reset the tab and still no avail :/

— modified on Dec 6, 2013, 12:18:46 AM

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Andrejs Ameļčenko
  • Forum posts: 1

Jan 9, 2014, 7:31:53 AM via Website

I hope somebody still reads this. I am doing everything according to the instructions, yet when I am trying to access any kind of web page with Flash on it, it just says that I need a plugin, though I cant tap on it or anything in order to install one.

Galaxy tab 3 10.1

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zuk lio 3
zuk lio
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Jan 24, 2014, 7:06:01 PM via Website

THANKS!!!! :):):)

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Jan 26, 2014, 1:12:47 PM via Website

Hi @Andrejs, yep, still reading. If you can fill me in on the specifics of the problem I might be able to help. ie, which browser, which archive version and the process you use (and where the problem occurs).

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Venite Castillo
  • Forum posts: 1

Mar 10, 2014, 12:04:36 PM via Website

HI! I followed your instructions and it worked well for 3 days. I tried to reinstall it but android seems to be blocking it, Any ideas?

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Mar 10, 2014, 6:14:16 PM via Website

Hey @Venite, what browser are you using? And did it work perfectly for three days and then just stop? Did you do anything on that third day that you think might be responsible? How do you know Android is blocking it?

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Fran Harkonan 3
Fran Harkonan
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Mar 24, 2014, 9:04:00 PM via Website

Super helpful!!! I did this with my Samsung S3 and it worked great! Thanx!!

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9
Salomon
  • Forum posts: 26

Jun 2, 2014, 12:42:05 AM via Website

Hi Kris I don't know if this site is still Up - to date , I mean the problematic with the latest version 4.4 kitkat. I have installed the modified version of the Adobe Flash player after fallowing the description. I have tried from both sides 1 . the xda's way and 2nd the directly installing from dolphin browser. And I have uninstalled and reinstalled again, but when I want to look "Deutschland TV"(an app developed by "flash paradise";) i can't open it .It says:"get adobe flash player".Is this maybe a "sync"-problem , a" connection problem "between dolphin browser and the TV - APP? Both the icon and the file of Adobe Flash player are transparent on my Galaxy s4 device.
The greatest thanks to you if you can help me
..I thank you anyway when you tried to help me

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
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Jun 10, 2014, 10:49:11 AM via Website

Flash Player won't work on all KitKat browsers. Dolphin should be a safe bet though, so I'm not sure why you're getting an error. Have you treid uninstalling/reinstalling? (not very technical I know, but it sometimes works). I'm sure you've followed the XDA directions well, but perhaps double check in case you missed something?

The only other thing I can think of is that you have a previous version of Flash Player already installed on your device. Make sure you've deleted that before getting the latest version.

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DEATHPROOFBUM
  • Forum posts: 3

Mar 6, 2015, 3:23:37 PM via Website

I did a direct download via chrome some time back, i'am on 4.3 and have had a 4.4 update waiting to be downloaded for sometime now but haven't
done so because of moving files to the sd card in that version but have found workarounds so was thinking of updating. You mentioned something
new to me that flash doesn't work in 4.4, does this also apply to 5.0 and if so is their any sort of workaround for this? I also use photon browser which you may probably know is flash enabled but wouldn't imagine this will cover all flash enabled needs? I would appreciate your input on this, thanks.

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