Chrome Apps have already set an expiration date. It will be in 2022

Chrome Apps will die in 2022

Google is a company famous for, among other things, providing us with many services, but also for ending them. One of those services that will die in the near future is that of the ChromeApps, which are basically webapps that run inside Google's Chrome browser. Yesterday, the company of the seeker published an article in which he talked about the future of Google applications, starting with the fact that in March applications will no longer be accepted in the Chrome Web Store.

The roadmap, which we will detail below, will end in June 2022, when Chrome Apps support on Chrome OS ends for all clients. Sooner, as much as in December of this year, Google applications will stop working on Windows, macOS and Linux, but there is nothing to worry about (too much) because there are alternatives that, from my point of view, improve the experience offered by the search engine's browser apps.

In December 2020 Chrome Apps will stop working on non-Chromebook computers

The schedule on the death of Google apps is as follows:

  • March 2020: The Chrome Web Store will stop accepting new Chrome Apps. Developers should be able to update existing ones until June 2022.
  • June 2020: Support will end on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Chrome Enterprise and Chrome Education Upgrade users will have access to their policy to extend support until December 2020.
  • December 2020: Support for Windows, macOS, and Linux will end entirely.
  • June 2021: Support for the NaCl, PNaCl and PPAPI APIs will end.
  • June 2021: Chrome OS support will also end. Chrome Enterprise and Chrome Education Upgrade users will have access to their policy to extend support until December 2022.
  • June 2022: Chrome Apps support will end on Chrome OS for all users.

This change has nothing to do with Chrome extensions. In fact, it is one of the strengths of the Google browser and if there is an extension that works like webapp, it will continue to do so.

Should I be worry?

In the beginning, no. Chrome Apps are basically webapps that are installed from the Chrome Web Store, but Chrome also offers us the possibility of creating webapps from an option specially designed for it. For example, if we want to make a Twitter appWe just have to go to the section with the three points / More tools, choose «Save direct access» and check the box «Open as window». The application will appear in the start menu of most Linux distributions. Also, most major service websites are compatible with Progressive Web Apps, so we have nothing to fear… in theory.

The only problem that I see, at least now in January 2020, is that there are applications that do not have to do with web services, such as ARC Welder. Although it doesn't work very well with many APKs, ARC Welder It allows us to run Android applications in Chrome and this possibility will be completely lost when it is no longer available through the Chrome Web Store. There are many projects to run / test Android apps on desktop computers, but I comment on this as a "against" that Google Apps will stop working.

In any case, June 2022. Chrome Apps have two and a half years to live.


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