Summary
- Chromebooks now have a dedicated app store for easier access to apps, similar to the Play Store or App Store.
- The user-friendly App Mall will offer organized tabs for Search, Home, Apps, and Games for a seamless app browsing experience.
- Downloading web apps and PWAs on Chromebook is simplified with a simple tap on the installation pop-up in the new App Mall environment.
Apps are a big part of every operating system experience, be it Android, iOS, or ChromeOS. Without proper applications, even the best operating system is pretty useless. Besides developing apps for a platform, distributing those apps and making them accessible is a whole different story. Android users rely on the Play Store and third-party stores, while iOS users are tied to the App Store. ChromeOS users? Well, according to Chrome Unboxed, Google has prepared a dedicated app store for them.
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In March, Google unveiled its plan to launch an app store for ChromeOS, a platform that already offers access to web apps, PWAs, Android apps, and Linux apps. However, the lack of a centralized venue for these apps has been a long-standing issue. Enter App Mall, an initiative by Google that aims to address this problem by gathering all Chromebook apps in one place for straightforward access.
It is worth noting that the App Mall hasn’t yet made its way to the stable ChromeOS, but it’s already available in the Canary Channel of ChromeOS 126. You can activate the feature by enabling the chrome://flags/#cros-mall flag. Once enabled, an App Mall icon appears on the shelf and in the app launcher.
Chromebooks now have a dedicated app store for easier access to apps
The App Mall environment is designed to be user-friendly, much like Chromebooks’s Explore app. Applications are neatly organized in the Search, Home, Apps, and Games tabs, and tapping on each one of these options takes you to the related page. If you’re familiar with the Play Store or Apple’s App Store, you’ll find that the functionality of App Mall for ChromeOS users is quite similar.
Once you want to check an app for download, Google provides you with a full description and images of that app on the page. You can also choose where to get the app, whether it’s the Play Store or any other app venue. The Google Play Store is the only available option for some apps, while other apps might offer various download pathways. Choosing to get the app from the Play Store instantly opens the app venue for you.
But Google’s real surprise happens when users want to download web apps and PWAs. Traditionally, Chromebook users needed to visit Chrome and follow through the process to download web apps and PWAs. However, with the App Mall, downloading these apps is as simple as tapping on an installation pop-up. This feature could be really helpful to Chromebook users who mostly rely on web-based apps, as the installation process is now a breeze.
While the App Mall is not yet available in the stable ChromeOS, the app venue is clearly ready to roll out, and Google developers might need to iron out only some remaining bugs. If you’re a Chromebook user, watch out for upcoming updates.
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