Browser keeps stopping error

[MeeTzu]

Hi everybody,

I got a problem since I use /e/ with my Xiaomi Mi 9T.

I often got an error displaying on the screen that says that “browser keeps stopping”. Actually I’m not using this browser for my phone so there’s no problem about this but the problem is that it often came in front of the screen when I’m using other apps or when I’m doing something else that has no link with the browser. So I wanted to know if this problem was known and if it was possible to completely disable the browser to avoid it to start.

Here is two screenshots of what I get with this problem.

Thank you all for your help.

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online services

[smu44]

Hi,
Try to stop then clear cache & data for Browser app, in Settings.

[MeeTzu]

Thank you for your answer.

I forgot to say that I’ve already tried to solve the problem by clearing cache and all browser data but this doesn’t work.

[tcecyk]

probably want to look at logcat while the error is thrown.

(I’ve seen foundation.e.browser segfault in user logs on this forum recently (within 3 months) but it didn’t come up more often. I wondered then what triggered it)

[MeeTzu]

Sorry for the late answer. Here is some line of error from log. This version of /e/ has much more error with browser than last versions.

If you need other all lines of the logs just tell me.

Some other screenshot

[tcecyk]

(the tombstoned process is what packages each bugreport, fyi - it won’t tell much about the crash itself in the logcat, just when you fetch the bugreport later that includes the log leading up to “being tombstoned”)

The last two screenshots show a SIGTRAP, not segfault (SIGSEGV) but this could be the ActivityManager forcefully ending the processes due to prior crashes? I guessed its a packaging issue - a user wrote similar at - https://github.com/opengapps/opengapps/issues/804

But /e/ builds the trichromelibrary the same time as chrome - https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/os/android_prebuilts_prebuiltapks_lfs/-/tree/main/Browser/arm64

Selecting an alternative webview through developer options probably avoids the issue when it is called from an App for some webview action.

[MeeTzu]

Thanks for the answer.

Unfortunately I can’t change the webview since I have no other alternative. The Google webview can’t be installed on my phone and to be honest I don’t really want something Google on my phone. Do you know an alternative webview ?

Here is screenshot on what I’m saying

[tcecyk]

my fault suggesting it, forgot it’s not straightforward to supply an alternative webview. You could mess around as root user (possible in dev-channel builds via devoptions → adb root) and try to replace the libraries that repeatedly crash or supply an alternative webview - https://github.com/bromite/bromite/wiki/Installing-SystemWebView

ultimately the device trips on the current bromite webview (3 months old currently) that /e/ is building. If they rebuild it its worth giving it a try again

[MeeTzu]

I installed bromite system WebView successfully but the system WebView still come from Android and there’s no other option in the developer option to choose the bromite webview. I can’t install the Google webview. Is there another solution because I’ve only found these three webview options.

[tcecyk]

for these issues, allowing bromites webview separately would help:

• https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/5925

you can subscribe to the next browser update and/or watch the repository, it’s due course, but doesn’t yet look like an update will make a v1.13

• https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/7048

I’m sorry there’s nothing short of using another ROM or building yourself to fix this

[MeeTzu]

I bricked my phone once by trying (badly) to do the stuff. My data are safe don’t worry.

I need to root my phone to be able to change the file they’re asking to modify. I find it not very easy. Where can I ask that they implement this modification in the next update so we can quit AndroidWebView that is a crap that is spying us and not working well on my phone ?

Thank you anyway for all your help. I’ll maybe try later to do the modification. For the moment I’m tired of this and I couldn’t find the access to the file from twrp but that’s another problem.

[MeeTzu]

Finally I tried almost every option from the link : https://github.com/bromite/bromite/wiki/Installing-SystemWebView

-“Installation with root and SystemAppMover” : I couldn’t move Bromite to system app even with other popular app like this one (I was rooted).

“Installation with root file manager or TWRP” : Impossible because /system/app/webview (if you do not have such directory, this procedure will not work)

The only way is to flash a custom ROM : “You can either modify framework-res.apk or create an overlay so that the changes explained earlier (res/xml/config_webview_packages.xml) allow installation of the Bromite SystemWebView as a system app or an user app.”

Unfortunately I think that is beyond my knowledge. Can someone help me?

Thank you

[marcdw]

I use Mulch WebView on all of my ROMs including /e/OS.
There’s different ways to get it installed (depending on ROM I’ve used several) but this one is aimed at non-root users.

GitHub - A4Alpha/mulch-webview-overlay: Easily install the security-hardened Mulch SystemWebView from DivestOS

Once it is successfully installed it can be kept updated via F-Droid, when DivestOS repo is added to client.

[MeeTzu]

I followed the tutorial but by either way I’m stuck. Here is the command and result that cause me trouble :

To resume : I can’t switch webview nor add package in system folders

[marcdw]

Hmm, no space available on device. I assume that means the /vendor/ partition? I have not encountered that issue before.

Try df -h /vendor to see how much space is really left.
Depending on device /vendor may be separate (685MB free on the mata) or part of something else (Teracube the results are same for /vendor and /system with 1.8GB free).

Just wondering. Not related to space issue I don’t think but instead of using the mount command what if, after adb root, try adb remount instead. That seems to make everything available for writing (including data I recently found out - not really an adb user so… )

But I must admit the flashable zip didn’t work for me. Since I am always rooted I either use a Magisk module or place the overlay apk manually (necessary on my Oreo ROMs with SuperSU).
The key is to get the overlay file in place. Then the webview can be installed like any other app.
Reboot and check developer options.

[MeeTzu]

I could copy the package to the vendor partition with the “adb remount” but still have the space issue for copying to the system folder.

The /system folder has 1.2G Avail. but when I enter the path to the last folder (/system/product/overlay) I get only 46M Avail.

[marcdw]

Comparing / checking my ROMs, /product/overlay/ and /vendor/overlay/ have completely different content. Only the latter location is used.
Magisk modules also place the overlay file there.

/product and /vendor are symlinks inside /system. If they are also mounted as part of adb remount then I would access them directly, i.e. copy package to /vendor/overlay/.
If successful, give it 644 permission and reboot. Then install Mulch WebView.

On my Oreo ROMs with SuperSU I would manually place the file. Even when there was no overlay subdirectory in /vendor I would create it first.

In summary, use /vendor/overlay/ or /system/vendor/overlay/ if necessary.

[MeeTzu]

I’m sorry I made a mistake. Nothing was copied. Although the apk is 60Mo and the free space is 232Mo in /vendor, it still fail to copy (it begins with all percentage than fail). I’m desperate maybe I need to change the OS.

[marcdw]

This is so weird. I was really hoping something would work.

Of the seven ROMs with Mulch WebView two are /e/OS (1.8.1-q on Essential PH-1 and 1.12.5-r on Teracube emerald). Changing the OS is (probably) not necessary.

You said you were rooted? Using a root-enabled file manager, what if you just manually copy the overlay file to /vendor/overlay/, set the permission, and reboot. Then check to see if it is still there.
I was on a ROM where copying to system location was good (no read-write or permission errors) yet on reboot the file(s) was not there.

Another one. Apparently the Magisk module Open Webview now includes Mulch. Have not tested it.

[MeeTzu]

I couldn’t change any system file even when rooted and set permissions. I gave up and I’ve installed a fresh /e/os again and I have much less error then before. Hope that they’ll implement Mulch or another non-googled WebView soon.