The latest version of the open-source Apache Cordova mobile framework has been updated to version 3.7.1 for Android, with a number of new features, bug fixes and added support.

Joe Bowser, a primary lead at Adobe Systems for Apache Cordova on Android, detailed the changes in version 3.7.1 in an announcement on the Cordova website. Building off the new external application launch whitelist for Android, which debuted with Apache Cordova 3.6 in September 2014, this version adds the target SDK to the android-21 API, which improves graphics on Android Lollipop devices. Android-21 will be the default Android version when cordova-cli 4.1.0 is released, according to Bowser.

Enhancements in the Apache Cordova 3.7.1 release include:

  • A fixed regression with view hierarchy
  • Plug-ins that can handle certificate challenges
  • Support for auth dialogs into Cordova Android
  • Support for <input type=file> for Lollipop
  • Android Version bumped up to Android-21 and set up to allow third-party cookies
  • Eliminating usages of sendJavascript() to be CSP compliant
  • Changes to the Gradle build automation system
  • Gradle builds are allowed to use Java 6 instead of requiring Java 7
  • Using webView‘s context rather than Activity’s context for intent receiver
  • Allowing content-url-hosted pages to access the bridge
  • Fixing build for android when app name contains Unicode characters
  • Adding multipart PluginResult
  • Support for RTL text direction
  • Improved auto-detection of Android SDK and JDK install locations

More details on the release can be found in the Apache Cordova documentation.