Auto Flash to HTML5 conversion now performed for ads

Feb 26, 2015 10:52 GMT  ·  By

Flash is slowly but surely fading away, as more large tech companies are giving up on this type of content in search of a faster and more secure experience for users.

Google, one of the pioneers of this transition, has just announced a change to its AdWords service that would automatically convert Flash ads to HTML5 for both existing and new campaigns.

Google says that this way the mobile experience would be significantly improved, especially because mobile platforms, be they iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, no longer support Flash, so HTML5 is pretty much the best way to reach to audience.

The conversion will apply to all Flash campaigns, no matter if they're uploaded through AdWords, AdWords Editor, or other third-party solutions.

The company claims that more than 50 percent of our time is spent online, so the conversion to HTML5 is just the right way to go and “presents a tremendous opportunity for marketers to reach their customers throughout the day, whenever they may be browsing.”

YouTube also loads HTML5 by default

Google is one of the first companies trying to step away from Flash as in early 2014 it announced that its video sharing service YouTube would load HTML5 by default for all users.

At the same time, Mozilla has recently announced Project Shumway, a new feature that could be introduced in future Firefox browsers that would allow the application to load Flash content without actually needing Adobe's Flash Player.

The reason is exactly the same: users would benefit from a significant speed increase, without the risk of being targeted because of the vulnerabilities found in Adobe's software.

Flash Player has been one of the most vulnerable software solutions in the last few years, so most companies and users are now looking for alternatives that could make the browsing experience more secure no matter the device.