Adobe AIR and Flash Player are both runtimes. The difference between the two of them is one runs on desktops and mobile devices while the other for web browsers. Both are even currently sitting at version 24. And that’s the update you should be switching to as soon as possible.
Why should that be the case? The only reason you need is that this update contains new features as well as some security enhancements. The last thing you want when using any application is to fall victim to an attacker because they were able to exploit a vulnerability that wasn’t patched.
AIR 24 and Flash Player 24 both support SWF 35. SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for content delivery; it can contain multimedia and vector graphics. These are some of the features included with version 24:
- Support for Permissions (Android and iOS)
- Support for custom fonts for StageText (Android and iOS)
- Swipe velocity (Android and iOS)
- Support for Android App Links
- Different HTTP and HTTPS permissions for Camera and Microphone
- Support for spherical video (Android and desktop)
The latest update in the Version 24 branch was released on December 13, 2016. Make sure you have this version when you update your version. To be sure, perform the update through the application’s update mechanism or download the update from the official Adobe website.
With Adobe AIR, developers can create applications and video games based on Flash that can run independent of a web browser. In short, anything created using AIR behaves like native applications on a supported platform. Adobe AIR is supported by several platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Linux used to be supported but support was terminated in 2011.
A number of applications use Adobe AIR including Tweetdeck and Angry Birds. Adobe itself says that over 100,000 unique applications have been developed using AIR. The application was also voted as the Best Mobile Application Development product at the 2014 and 2015 Consumer Electronics Show.
Flash Player has been turned down in favor of something else and isn’t even going to be supported on Apple’s products. AIR, on the other hand, is supported by the Silicon Valley giant and has been constantly used to develop applications and games.
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