In Android N the WebView and Chrome packages were combined in order to reduce the update size for users. Updating Chrome also updates WebView. This means that in the Play store the WebView package will appear to be permanently disabled. The Play store WebView entry is only relevant for users with older operating systems, and users who have decided to disable Chrome.

If you need, or are being asked by an application, to update WebView, the action you should take now is to UPDATE CHROME. This should resolve any issues you are currently experiencing.

We would also like to understand what led you to file this bug so that we can reduce the number of users experiencing this issue and work with application developers to direct users to the correct Play store page.

If an application has directed you to update WebView, and sent you to the WebView page in the Play store to do so, please comment on this bug to tell us which application did so.

Finally, if updating Chrome does not stop the application from redirecting you to the Play store, please also provide that information on this bug.

I just got a new phone and I realized it is infested with adware and beyond
from manufacturer. I was going through app by app removing any and every
permission to everything I could to try to identify the main components of
it. Unfortunately I am unable to disable them. I remembered dealing with
webview in the past at some point. I knew it was needed and found it odd
that it wasn't enabled. I wasn't sure if it was part of the malware issue
or not. So I wanted to try to enable through the play store. And then I saw
the beta offer. I like to participate in betas. So it was nothing on your
part. Now I don't suppose you know how to flash an unknown phone that has
no available device specific software? Lol.

We can't help you with that kind of thing, sorry :(

If you want to try the beta version of WebView on an Android N+ device, you can install Chrome Beta from the Play Store, and then select it as the webview implementation in Developer Settings on the device. This allows you to switch back and forth if you want, instead of having to explicitly join a beta as in older OS versions.

Is chromium going to come to phones too? I heard it was to tablets. Just
curious is all.

We don't have plans to distribute chromium for Android (we only distribute chrome on the play store). We support compiling chromium for Android from the chromium source tree, but that's mostly for development purposes. If you were to use chromium as a browser, you would need to recompile every 6 weeks to build the latest stable version (to stay updated with security patches).

That is actually pretty cool in its own though. So is there currently a
plan to make everything cross compatible or even to bring the chrome
operating system itself to phones? Is there actually another operating
system in works? What type of device is that planned for? Though I do get
nothing is set in stone and it is a constantly evolving game plan. Google
really did make tech interesting again. Things were seeming to have been
grinding to a halt in many ways before. And it is fun to watch Microsoft
squirm. Lol.