Google recently began rolling out update 79 for its Chrome browser, but the company halted the rollout for Android soon after. This is due to a bug found on the Android version of the update that seemingly wipes app data.
Specifically, it affects apps that make use of Android’s built-in WebView, which relies on the Chrome browser. This element comes into play whenever you log in with a web page within an app. According to Android Police, an example of the former is Twitter Lite. Another situation where apps can be affected by this Chrome bug is when using other browsers that don’t have their own internal rendering engine.
Part of the change in Chrome version 79 is the location where web data is stored. The problem with the new update is that the data wasn’t migrated to the new location properly. This means apps are looking at the new data location while the data is still sitting in the old one. The old data is technically still there, but the bug makes them inaccessible by the apps that use them.
While Google has put the Chrome update on hold, it is also considering which step it should take moving forward. The company is deciding between continuing the migration of app data to the new storage location, or moving them back to the old one. For now, it remains to be seen which direction the company will go, or when the fix will roll out.
(Source: Chromium via Android Police)
