Facebook Finally Replaces Flash With HTML5 For All Videos On Its Platform

Facebook announced that every video on its platform will now play on the HTML5 format by default. According to Facebook, adapting to HTML5 suits the large size and complexity of the site. Alex Stamos, the chief security officer tweeted that it was time For Adobe to replace Flash in July.

Previously Flash had been hit by different malicious software, proving its vulnerability and became an easy target for hackers. In order to combat these security issues, Facebook had to replace it with HTML5, which will now appear on all machines and browsers, as confirmed by Facebook’s Daniel Baulig.

He also wrote that initially Facebook had decided to launch the HTML5 video playing system in small browsers and roll it out to other browsers, machines and operating systems in subsequent stages of improvement. He added that it is most likely that all videos which we have watched on Facebook in recent times have been via HTLML5 except some browsers which have compromised with their standards by still choosing Flash. So, Facebook had to wait long before launching HTML5 across most browsers.

Facebook is sure that the decision to upgrade to HTML5 will pay off by nullifying the various problems experienced with Flash in the past. However, initial testing gave an unsatisfactory result when it came to the loading time of videos, which has been considerably higher than before. Baulig confirmed that the issue has already been addressed by experts and that they are impressed with the present version.

He also stressed, that the users will get an improved experience when it comes to video-playing , which is an integral aspect of the social networking experience. However, "Flash” has not completely disappeared from the Facebook site, since Flash supported games are still present in Facebook as they are secure and reliable.

Source: Facebook's website now uses HTML5 instead of Flash for all videos - The Verge