Chrome Web Store Logo 2012 2015Google has shuttered the Chrome Apps section of its Chrome browser web store, following through on an announcement the company made more than a year ago. As of Wednesday, the Apps selection no longer appeared in the web store's search panel filters below Extensions and Themes.

Prior to yesterday's removal, Chrome apps were available in two flavors: packaged apps and hosted apps. As Ars Technica notes, hosted apps were little more than desktop bookmarks, but they gave Chrome OS users a way to pin important web pages to certain parts of the GUI.

Packaged apps, which first appeared on Mac in 2013, could be downloaded into the Applications folder where they were designed to function like native Mac apps, working offline, updating automatically, and syncing on any computer where a user was signed into Chrome.

By 2016, Google had decided they were no longer worth the resources, because only around 1 percent of users across Windows, Mac, and Linux actively used Chrome packaged apps, and by that time the functionality of most hosted apps had been implemented as regular web apps.

This week, Google began sending out emails to Chrome app developers informing them that Chrome Apps are now deprecated, and that the functionality of already installed apps will end early next year. As a replacement, Google is moving developers towards Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

The hybrid software was launched earlier this year on Android and brings similar app features to websites, including push notifications and offline sync. Apple has already started building support for PWAs into Safari on iOS, while Google is reportedly aiming to release PWAs for desktop by the middle of next year.

Tags: Google, Chrome

Top Rated Comments

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
78 months ago
This is why I never use Google platforms as a developer. They’re full of great ideas, but you can be certain that within 1-3 years, google is going to abandon it and announce a replacement.

Platforms need to be stable and maintained above all else or they’re useless. You shouldn’t build your house on sand. You shouldn’t build your app on Google’s platform.

Periodically I’m asked to update an older application built on a google platform. That’s always a nightmare. The horrible experiences from all of them leads me to ensure any new apps I’m part of don’t have google involved.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jaymes Avatar
78 months ago
I'm waiting for 2025 ... Google vs Amazon ... steel cage death match.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
somethingelsefl Avatar
78 months ago
"But I thought that Google was the only company innovated and it never made any bad software choices?" -Every low-key Android fanboy MR forum user
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Avieshek Avatar
78 months ago
And that disease of Google is spreading to YouTube.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
78 months ago
This is why I never use Google platforms as a developer. They’re full of great ideas, but you can be certain that within 1-3 years, google is going to abandon it and announce a replacement.

Platforms need to be stable and maintained above all else or they’re useless. You shouldn’t build your house on sand. You shouldn’t build your app on Google’s platform.

Periodically I’m asked to update an older application built on a google platform. That’s always a nightmare. The horrible experiences from all of them leads me to ensure any new apps I’m part of don’t have google involved.
I see it time and time again with their apps, it is so immensely infuriating. MyTracks and Lattitude are examples, they could have just left the apps alone, ageing sure but they didn't need to shutter them.

They are like a child in a toy shop "oh look, new shiny thing to play with!". They never seem to want to focus on one thing and polish it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenomorph Avatar
78 months ago
I guess I was part of the 1%.

I have a Chromebook, and the Chrome Apps let me use the same stuff on Chrome OS, Windows, and Mac.

I haven't used Chrome OS in a long time, but I use macOS daily. All my Chrome Apps were still available.

I used an SFTP client, an SSH terminal, Google Keep, Chrome Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, a VNC viewer, and had a few games.

This isn't a huge loss. I will use other stuff. But it is also another "oh look, Google killed ANOTHER thing" event.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
New iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Release Notes: All New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday December 6, 2023 7:17 am PST by
Apple has shared the full release notes for iOS 17.2, which is in the final stage of beta testing and should be released to the public next week. iOS 17.2 includes a long list of new features and changes, including a Journal app, spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models, several improvements to the Messages and Weather apps, a Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music, and more. iOS...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...