Following a bit of a hiccup when it came to the previous Chrome OS 75 release, Chrome OS 76 has been pushed to the Stable Channel and is rolling out to some devices. As well as picking up features from Chrome 76, the latest release includes Android-style notification media controls, support for virtual desktops, some accessibility improvements, and GPU acceleration for some Chromebooks in Crostini/Linux containers, among a whole pile of other changes — and you'll get to hear about most of them via the new "What's new with your Chromebook?" release notes notification when you upgrade.
Read MoreChrome OS 76 released to stable with Android-style media controls, virtual desktop support, and more
Google wants Progressive Web Apps to be uninstallable from Windows settings
Chrome's Progressive Web Apps (or PWAs, for short) are a pretty nifty way for developers to get a website to look and behave more like a native app. AP's own Corbin Davenport built a watermarking PWA that works cross-platform for us, and there's a whole store full of great examples for use on Chromebooks, Android, and even your desktop. Since they can be made to look and act like native apps, Google is planning to give Windows users the ability to uninstall them like native apps via the Control Panel.
Read MoreAppscope is a slick 'app store' for Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web Apps (or PWAs) are fancy web-based applications that can mimic some of the functionality of native apps while taking up minimal storage space on your device. Because they're so small, they're pretty great alternatives to installing apps you'd use infrequently. Discovering which services you use have PWAs can be tricky, though — and that's where Appscope comes in.
Read MoreChrome 68 will make annoying 'Add to Home screen' banners less conspicuous
Since the version 42 beta, Chrome for Android has included a pop-up banner allowing you to add a website shortcut (or Progressive Web App) to the home screen of your phone for easier access. While useful, the banner is unfortunately rather obtrusive, taking up too much space on the screen and getting in the way of the content you're trying to view. Thankfully, Chrome's developers have a solution to this problem.
Read More[Update: Coming in v67] Google is improving Progressive Web Apps on Chrome OS
Near the end of last year, Google told developers that it was working to phase out apps in the Chrome Web Store, in favor of platform-independent Progressive Web Apps. While PWAs already fully work in Chrome and Chrome OS, Google has been trying to make them look and feel more like desktop programs. Kenneth Christiansen (a contributor to Chromium) has shared some screenshots of how the work is progressing, and it looks fantastic.
Read MoreGoogle wants Progressive Web Apps to replace Chrome apps
The Chrome Web Store originally launched in 2010, and serves as a hub for installing apps, extensions, and themes packaged for Chrome. Over a year ago, Google announced that it would phase out Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux in 2018. Today, the company sent out an email to developers with additional information, as well as news about future Progressive Web App support.
Read MoreFirefox 58 will let you add Progressive Web Apps to the home screen
In case you aren't familiar with them, Progressive Web Apps are web apps tailored to function like native applications. They're designed to be fast and work offline, with the ability to be added to the home screen. Chrome has been leading the charge on PWAs for a while now, most recently allowing them to be installed to the app drawer, just like native applications.
Read MoreChrome Beta 58 adds support for full-screen Progressive Web Apps, minor UI changes, and tweaks to Custom Tabs [APK Download]
Chrome 58 has graduated to beta status, moving one step closer to the stable channel. This time around, Google has been working on new features for Progressive Web Apps (and normal sites), improvements to Chrome Custom Tabs, and more.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
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