Adobe Flash Player 11.1.115.81 for Android

Adobe Flash Player 11.1.115.81 is an old Android build of Adobe's multimedia plugin, now officially described as deprecated. It was once needed to play video and interactive content in mobile browsers, but today there is no good reason to look for an Adobe Flash Player APK, and this page explains why.

What was Flash Player on Android?

Flash Player started on desktop computers in 1999 and later came to some Android phones as a browser plugin. It let the phone's browser show Flash animations, games and videos that websites of that time were built with. The Android version listed here, 11.1.115.81, belongs to an early generation of the plugin; on the desktop the product continued up to the 32 line, whose final builds appeared in 2020. The web moved on to HTML5 video and modern web standards, which work in every current browser without any plugin at all. Adobe discontinued Flash Player for Android on August 15, 2012, years before the desktop plugin was retired, and the whole product is now deprecated.

Will it work on my phone?

Almost certainly not in any useful way. The build was made for Android versions and browsers that are many years old. Current mobile browsers are built around web standards rather than plugins, so even if an old package installs, your browser has no use for it. Sites that ask you to install Flash on a phone today are not showing you anything you are missing.

Is an old Flash APK dangerous?

Yes, for two reasons. First, the software receives no security updates, and Flash was a frequent target of attacks during its lifetime. Second, most "Flash Player APK" files offered online today are repackaged by unknown people, and fake Flash installers have been a common disguise for Android malware. Installing one means allowing an unknown app from outside Google Play with nothing to gain.

Key facts

Adobe explains the product status on its Flash Player page.

What should I do instead?

1. Update your browser from Google Play; current versions play video and web games natively.
2. If a site still needs Flash, look for an updated version of the site or an app from the same publisher.
3. For old Flash games, look for projects that preserve them and play them in a modern browser on a computer.
4. If you already installed an old Flash APK, remove it in Settings > Apps and run a scan with Google Play Protect.

What if I need to study old content?

Researchers who must run legacy packages should do it in an isolated environment, such as the Android Studio emulator documented at developer.android.com, not on a personal phone.

What are the pros and cons?

• Pro: historic interest for old content.
• Con: deprecated and unpatched.
• Con: not used by current mobile browsers.
• Con: fake Flash APKs spread malware.

What are the alternatives?

Current Android browsers are the real replacement. For watching video, our listings include VLC Media Player and MX Player, and YouTube for online video.