1. How To Remove Google Chrome Applications

Three years after introducing special apps that run inside the Chrome browser, Google that it will be removing them from Windows, Mac and Linux by early 2018. Google introduced those apps in 2013 as a way to offer new functions that weren't otherwise available on the web.

Chrome browser apps also gave developers a way to write one app that would run across Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS. The apps come in two flavors: Hosted Apps, which are essentially installable web apps, and Packaged Apps, which are closer to a traditional app like those you might find in the iOS App Store or Google Play Store.

The phase-out gives developers about a year and a half to figure out how to migrate their applications away from the Chrome browser. For Hosted apps, that's not too big a deal, since their functions reside mostly on the web.

Users will be able to keep using the web app after the transition, but completely through the web. For Packaged Apps, developers will have to build something new. Google recommends a: web apps, extensions, extension-enhanced web pages and native apps. For the last one, they suggest developers take advantage of technologies like Electron or NW.js to build applications that run on desktop operating systems.

The reasoning behind Google's decision is pretty clear: Over the past few years, web technologies have advanced to the point where many of the features of Chrome apps are available on websites. Meanwhile, only about 1 percent of users on Windows, Mac and Linux use Chrome Packaged Apps. The shutdown will be gradual. Starting later this year, new Chrome apps will only be available on Chrome OS, while existing apps will be available on all platforms. Then, in the second half of 2017, the Chrome Web Store will no longer show Chrome apps to users on the affected platforms.

Finally, Chrome apps will cease to function on Windows, Mac and Linux in early 2018. Phasing out Chrome apps across the top desktop OSes may cause developers to lose interest in developing them for Chrome OS, too. But a few months ago, Google announced that Chrome OS computers will also be able to run Android apps, so those may help to take up the slack.

. Chrome. Extend the Browser. Web Store Publishing and Distribution. Mobile Chrome. Chrome OS. Apps.

Native Client. Chrome APIs. Extensions APIs. Apps APIs. Important: Chrome will be removing support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Chrome OS will continue to support Chrome Apps.

Additionally, Chrome and the Web Store will continue to support extensions on all platforms. And learn more about. Transitioning from Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux Chrome packaged and hosted apps will be discontinued on Windows, Mac, and Linux over the course of now and early 2018. For more information, refer to the August 2016.

This transition does not apply to Chrome OS, where Chrome packaged and hosted apps will remain supported and maintained for the foreseeable future. To transition away from a Chrome packaged or hosted app on Windows, Mac, and Linux, the following options are available. Chrome packaged apps Recommended migration options for packaged apps are listed in order from simplest to most complicated. Build a web app Building a web app on top of the web platform is the ideal way to reach users across platforms. We are investigating ways to improve the migration path to the web for developers that depend on exclusive Chrome App APIs - in particular the Sockets, HID, fileSystem and Serial APIs.

If there are web platform features you need that are only available in select browsers, you can use feature detection to gracefully degrade or include explanatory text when your app is run in a browser that doesn’t support a particular API. If there are gaps in the web platform for your application, please. An experimental tool that can help migrate simple Chrome Apps to is. This tool can insert JavaScript to substitute Chrome Apps APIs you might be using.

It is currently limited to handling only certain types of apps. In particular, apps that contain processing in background pages will not be converted. In the future, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) will become installable on desktop platforms. Users will be able to install web apps to the desktop and launch them via icons and shortcuts, similar to the way that Chrome Apps can be installed today. This functionality is expected to launch sometime during 2018. Build an extension-enhanced web page If there is a capability that your Chrome App has that the regular web platform can’t provide, it might be available as an.

In this case, you can continue using a. Building a web app is typically preferable to this, because this approach forces users to install an extension that is only useful on your site and can cause increased friction. As Chrome extensions can’t be run on other browsers, you should detect when required functionality isn’t available and provide explanatory text for users on these other browsers. Build an extension Depending on the user experience you want to provide, it might make sense to convert your app over to an extension. For example you could provide a button which shows a small popup window for your user interface, or navigates to a page your extension provides. For some apps, this might be a good enough user experience to be a viable solution.

Note there are significant costs to this approach. Users that do not use Chrome will not be supported, and there will be significant friction for your users to install your extension. FAQs Q: My Chrome App has many users. What’s the best way to migrate them to my new web app and deprecate my Chrome App? You will still be able to publish updates to your Chrome App until the runtime is removed in early 2018. We recommend updating your app to include a message indicating that your app has been discontinued, and that users should visit your website going forward (see example below).

You can also include an “uninstall” button that calls the. Q: I want to continue to have a UI affordance that enables users to launch my app from the taskbar/dock/app shelf. What should I do? This is still possible with web apps, but it is up to the user. On all desktop platforms except Mac, users can, which optionally run your web app in its own window. In the future, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) will become installable on desktop platforms.

Users will be able to install web apps to the desktop and launch them via icons and shortcuts, similar to the way that Chrome Apps can be installed today. This functionality is expected to launch sometime during 2018.

Q: I want my app to run in its own window, not in a tab. Is this something I can do with a web app?

Yes, but it is up to the user. On desktop platforms other than OS X, users can add ‘bookmark apps’ to their shelf / desktop, which optionally run your web app in its own window. Q: My app supports keyboard shortcuts. Can the web support this also? Web apps can support keyboard shortcuts by listening to the various key events (e.g. ), but the shortcuts you can support are limited. For example, you cannot intercept Ctrl+N, Ctrl+T etc.

As these are used by the browser. Or, these might be shortcuts that are handled by the operating system (e.g. Alt+Tab on Windows). Work to allow developers to intercept these additional shortcuts on the web, but this is not yet ready for use.

The supports richer keyboard shortcuts which operate across the entire browser, which may enable new capabilities if transitioning to an extension is possible. Q: My app needs to run when the user is offline. Can I do that with a web app? Yes, you can. Q: My app uses the chrome.gcm API to receive push messages from the cloud. Can the open web do that?

Yes, the provide the ability to show your user push notifications even when the page is closed. Q: My app needs to be able to show notifications to the user even when it has no windows open.

Can I do that with the open web? Yes, the provide this functionality. Q: My app uses chrome.bluetooth/chrome.usb to talk to a Bluetooth/USB device. Can this be done on the open web?

There are now proposals for new and standards, designed to allow this functionality. A subset of the Web Bluetooth API is now enabled in Chrome on Android, Chrome OS, and Mac. Q: My app uses the chrome.fileSystem API to read and write user-specified files and / or directories. Can this be done on the open web?

In general, no. The open web can read single files that the user opens, but cannot retain access to those files, write to those files, or have any access to directories. If it is critical for your app to read and write directories (e.g. It is a text editor with a folder view), you will need to either have a, or create a native app. Q: My app uses the chrome sockets API to do networking.

Can this be done with the open web? You might be able to do what you need with. However, to use this, you will likely need to change the remote end of your connection. If that isn’t possible (e.g. You’re connecting over an established protocol like IRC or SSH), you’ll need some sort of native component.

How To Remove Google Chrome Applications

Chrome hosted apps FAQs Q: My hosted app uses the notifications permission. How do I do that on the web? As of Chrome 42, you can send.

Check out this to get started. Q: My hosted app uses the unlimitedStorage permission. How do I do that on the web? The unlimitedStorage permission ensured that data you store was ‘Persistent’, which means it can only be cleared manually by the user.

The recommended alternative is to use in your web app. As of Chrome 52, Persistent Storage is available as an. To use this API in Chrome Stable, you will need to request a token and insert it in your web application. Q: My hosted app uses the geolocation permission. How do I do that on the web?

The can be used in web apps to locate a user’s position. Note: As of Chrome 50, the Geolocation API will only work on secure contexts such as HTTPS. If your site is hosted on an non-secure origin (such as HTTP), the requests to get the user’s location will no longer function. Q: My hosted app uses the background permission. How do I do that on the web? To ensure minimal power consumption we have been careful about introducing a generic method for sites to run in the background on user’s devices.

As of Chrome 49, sites can ensure actions taken by the user are synced to the server using the. This API allows sites to run some limited code in the background when the device re-connects to the internet, even if the tab has since been closed. Note that this API doesn’t allow for the service worker to be woken up periodically. In the future, we hope to introduce a quota-limited ability for sites to wake up their service worker by sending a push message but without being required to show the user a notification. You can follow the progress of this work by starring in the Chromium Issues Tracker. Q: My hosted app uses the clipboardWrite permission. How do I do that on the web?

As of Chrome 43, websites are now able to programmatically. Q: My hosted app uses the clipboardRead permission. How do I do that on the web? We are currently working on bringing the ability to read the clipboard to the web and you can star to be kept up to date. Until then you may consider building an extension with the clipboardRead permission to provide the functionality to your web app. Content available under the.