Update 4/23/18: The feature flag is now accessible at chrome://flags/#enable-home-launcher, according to Francois Beaufort. We have changed the feature image above to show off what it looks like.

It's no mystery that Chrome OS is moving more towards a touchscreen-optimized interface. Google has been slowly adding more touch-friendly and Android features over the last several months. We've already seen them make some changes to the launcher to make it better for touch. Now, Google is testing even more touch features for the launcher.

Currently, the Chrome OS app launcher looks like the image on the left. When you tap the home button, the search bar and one row of recent apps appear. Tapping the arrow brings up the full-screen launcher, as shown in the image on the right. A new commit in Chromium Gerrit adds a feature flag to enable the fullscreen launcher in tablet mode. It also changes the behavior of the home button. Tapping it will minimize all windows instead of opening the launcher.

        Add home launcher feature flag

Home launcher is a feature to show fullscreen launcher in tablet mode. And home button will minimize all windows instead of opening/closing the launcher.

 

Acer announced the first Chrome OS tablet last month, which makes the touch optimization even more pertinent. Chrome OS is on track to be Google's defacto tablet operating system. The addition of Android apps and features had made it a viable alternative to full-on Android tablets. The web experience is certainly better in Chrome OS and it has just enough Android features to fill in the gaps. 2018 may be the year of Google's web-based tablets.


Source: Chromium Review