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Google Chrome App
Web application that runs on the Google Chrome web browser

Google Chrome Apps were a deprecated type of non-standardized web application that ran on the Google Chrome web browser. Available from the Chrome Web Store, these apps included both hosted (server-side) and packaged (client-side) formats, serving different purposes. In June 2022, Chrome App installations were discontinued for Windows, Mac, and Linux users, with support continuing only on ChromeOS. Users of Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS could still add website shortcuts as Chrome apps. Google now recommends migrating from Chrome Apps to standards-based Web Applications and Chrome Extensions for better compatibility and future support.

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History

On August 19, 2016, Google announced that it would begin phasing out Chrome Apps for Windows, MacOS and Linux (both packaged and hosted) by the end of 2016, finishing the process in early 2018.4 The company said that such apps would continue to be supported and maintained on ChromeOS "for the foreseeable future".56 The plan later changed, with Chrome Apps set to last until at least January 2025 for ChromeOS.

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 2021.7 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 2025.8

The new timeline for chrome apps is now this

  • July 2025: End of support for user-installed Chrome Apps (scheduled for ChromeOS M139).
    • Chrome Apps that are force-installed through the admin console will continue to be supported.
    • Can be overiden with flag #allow-user-installed-chrome-apps
  • July 2026: Last ChromeOS release with support for Chrome Apps in Kiosk Mode (scheduled for ChromeOS M150).
    • Devices on the LTS channel with Chrome Apps in Kiosk Mode will receive support until April 2027.
  • February 2028: Last ChromeOS release with support for Chrome Apps (scheduled for ChromeOS M168), marking the end of life for all Chrome Apps.
    • Devices on the LTS channel can continue to use Chrome Apps until October 2028.
    • No exceptions will be granted.

Types

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;9 packaged apps have offline functionality making use of local storage.

Packaged

Packaged apps were launched on September 5, 2013.10 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.1112 Packaged apps are not confined to the regular Chrome interface and can display without a classic window menu and operating system user interface elements.1314

Hosted

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

References

  1. "Chrome for PC". Famous File. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023. https://famousfile.com/google-chrome-for-windows/ ↩

  2. "Add & open Chrome apps - Chrome Web Store Help". support.google.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024. https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/3060053 ↩

  3. "Transition from Chrome Apps". Chrome for Developers. Retrieved 2025-06-28. https://developer.chrome.com/docs/apps/migration ↩

  4. Welch, Chris (19 August 2016). "Google will end support for Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 20 August 2016. https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/19/12555052/google-shutting-down-chrome-apps ↩

  5. Welch, Chris (19 August 2016). "Google will end support for Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 20 August 2016. https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/19/12555052/google-shutting-down-chrome-apps ↩

  6. Roy-Chowdhury, Rahul (19 August 2016). "From Chrome Apps to the Web". Chromium Blog. Google. Retrieved 20 August 2016. https://blog.chromium.org/2016/08/from-chrome-apps-to-web.html ↩

  7. "Changes to the Chrome App Support Timeline". Chromium Blog. Retrieved 2020-11-18. https://blog.chromium.org/2020/08/changes-to-chrome-app-support-timeline.html ↩

  8. "Extending Chrome App Support on Chrome OS". Chromium Blog. Retrieved 20 June 2024. https://blog.chromium.org/2021/10/extending-chrome-app-support-on-chrome.html ↩

  9. "Choosing an App Type". Google. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/choosing ↩

  10. "A new breed of Chrome Apps". Google Chrome Blog. Google. Retrieved 24 May 2014. http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-new-breed-of-chrome-apps.html ↩

  11. "What Are Chrome Apps?". Google. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://developer.chrome.com/apps/about_apps ↩

  12. 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. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/05/chromes-native-like-packaged-apps-come-out-of-dev-preview-and-head-to-desktop-now-called-chrome-apps/ ↩

  13. "What Are Chrome Apps?". Google. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://developer.chrome.com/apps/about_apps ↩

  14. 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. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/05/chromes-native-like-packaged-apps-come-out-of-dev-preview-and-head-to-desktop-now-called-chrome-apps/ ↩

  15. "Hosted Apps". Google. Google Inc. Retrieved 24 May 2014. https://developers.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide ↩