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Google Chrome App

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Google Chrome Apps
Available inEnglish
OwnerGoogle
CreatorsGoogle and other app developers
Websitechrome.google.com/webstore/category/apps (redirects to Chrome Web Store homepage)
CommercialYes
Current statusDeprecation

Google Chrome Apps, commonly just Chrome apps, are a deprecated type of non-standardized web application that ran on the Google Chrome web browser from 2010. Chrome apps could be obtained from the Chrome Web Store along with various free and paid extensions and themes. The apps came in two varieties: hosted (server-side) and packaged (client-side), with each format targeting different use cases.[1] Support for Chrome apps in the Chrome Web Store was removed from Chrome in June 2022, except on ChromeOS where support for some Chrome Apps for Enterprise and Education customers has been extended until August 2028.[2][3] ChromeOS, Linux, and Windows users could add a shortcut of a website as a Chrome app.[4]

Google recommends migrating from Chrome apps to standards-based web applications and Chrome extensions.[5]

History

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On August 19, 2016, Google announced that it would begin phasing out Chrome apps for Linux, Windows, and MacOS (both packaged and hosted) by the end of 2016, finishing the process in early 2018.[6] The company said that such apps would continue to be supported and maintained on ChromeOS "for the foreseeable future."[6][7]

On January 15, 2020, Google announced that Chrome would begin phasing out support for Chrome apps completely starting in March 2020, with support for consumers until June 2021.[8] On October 14, 2021, Google announced that support from Chrome apps for Enterprise and Education customers using ChromeOS would be extended until at least January 2025.[9]

Chrome Apps in Kiosk Mode used by Enterprise and Education customers will be supported until April 2027, and all remaining Chrome Apps used in managed environments by Enterprise and Education organizations will reach their end of life in October 2028.[10]

Types

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Chrome apps can be hosted or packaged. Hosted apps have their background web pages on a remote server and the app acts like a bookmark or shortcut;[11] packaged apps have offline functionality making use of local storage.

Packaged

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Packaged apps were launched on September 5, 2013.[12] They have features very similar to a native desktop app, namely offline capable (by default), can interact with hardware devices, and can access local storage.[13][14] Packaged apps are not confined to the regular Chrome interface and can display without a classic window menu and operating system user interface elements.[13][14]

Hosted

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Hosted apps are the original type of Chrome apps. They contain a single manifest file that contains the URL and additional information about the app. Hosted apps typically require an internet connection and are subject to regular web page security restrictions.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Chrome for PC". Famous File. 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Extending Chrome App Support on Chrome OS". Chromium Blog. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  3. ↑ "Transition from Chrome Apps". Chrome for Developers. Archived from the original on 2025-05-09. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  4. ↑ "Add & open Chrome apps - Chrome Web Store Help". support.google.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Transition from Chrome Apps". Chrome for Developers. Archived from the original on 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. 1 2 Welch, Chris (19 August 2016). "Google will end support for Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Roy-Chowdhury, Rahul (19 August 2016). "From Chrome Apps to the Web". Chromium Blog. Google. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Changes to the Chrome App Support Timeline". Chromium Blog. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  9. ↑ "Extending Chrome App Support on Chrome OS". Chromium Blog. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  10. ↑ "Apps". Chrome for Developers. Archived from the original on 2026-07-04. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  11. ↑ "Choosing an App Type". Google. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "A new breed of Chrome Apps". Google Chrome Blog. Google. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  13. 1 2 "What Are Chrome Apps?". Google. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  14. 1 2 Lardinois, Frederic (5 September 2013). "Chrome's Native-Like Packaged Apps Come Out Of Dev Preview And Head To The Desktop, Now Called "Chrome Apps"". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Hosted Apps". Google. Google Inc. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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