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Google Chrome tests a tabbed mode for Progressive Web Apps
The proposed tabbed mode will allow Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) to open links and pages in tabs in the same window. Read on.
Progressive Web Apps are web pages that are designed to function like native apps. They're increasingly gaining traction on the web, with Google reporting a whopping 270% rise in web app installations last year. PWAs, as convenient as they are, have a lot of room to grow. One major limitation of web apps is that they don't support a tabbed experience. In other words, a web app can't open multiple pages in a single window. But that may change soon.
Link Cleaner PWA can help you quickly clean links on any device
Link Cleaner is a Progressive Web App that can remove tracking variables and other junk from web links in one click.
Web links can often be annoying to share with other people, with tracking code and other unnecessarily variables often added to the end by apps or referring websites. It's usually easy enough to remove the extra junk on a desktop computer, but the process can be more difficult and time-consuming on mobile, since text selection on touch screens doesn't always work well. There's a web app that might help, though: Link Cleaner.
Google says desktop web app installations nearly tripled in 2021
Google says desktop installations of PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) have nearly tripled since the start of 2021.
Web apps have been popular on desktop computers for well over a decade at this point, but over the past few years, newer APIs and capabilities have made them even more capable. Google has also been pushing for web apps in Chrome to be "installable" on desktop PCs, just like they are on Chrome for Android, and the results are impressive.
This new Progressive Web App can turn images into SVG vector graphics
SVGcode is a new Progressive Web App that can convert raster images (like JPEG and PNG) to SVG graphics files automatically.
There are two different categories of images you typically see on the web. Raster images (like JPG, PNG, WebP, and so on) are a series of pixels at a fixed resolution, while vector images (like SVG) use various lines and shapes. Vector graphics are popular for logos and other simple images, because they don't look terrible at high resolutions (or when zoomed in), but they can be labor-intensive to create from scratch. Now there's a handy web app for creating SVGs from standard images: SVGcode.
Microsoft Edge Canary gets redesigned PWA hub to manage your apps
Microsoft Edge is getting a redesigned PWA hub that makes it far easier to manage your installed web apps, but you may have to wait a while.
Microsoft Edge was recently updated for Insiders running Canary builds of the browser, and Microsoft has now highlighted one of the big changes in the latest release. Currently being tested with a subset of Microsoft Edge Canary users is a new hub for Progressive Web Apps (PWA), where users can manage the web apps they've installed on their PC.
Zoom's new web app for Chromebooks lands on the Play Store
Zoom has released a new PWA or progressive web app for Chromebook users offering similar functionality as the Windows and Mac version.
Popular video conferencing platform Zoom has started rolling out a Progressive Web App (PWA) for Chrome OS. It is essentially a web-based app that delivers a native desktop experience. Users can download the new Zoom app on their Chromebooks from the Google Play Store.
Installing a PWA is about to feel more native on Android
PWAs will feel more like traditional apps on Android with a new installation dialog that provides users with a richer experience.
Web browsers are continuing to add new features that make progressive web apps (PWAs) feel more like traditional apps on Android. For example, today, the Chrome Developers Twitter account revealed Google's web browser is introducing a new installation dialog that provides users with a richer experience.
Mozilla drops support for desktop web apps in Firefox
Mozilla has dropped support for web apps in Firefox on desktop and said it has no plans to support Progressive Web Apps in the future.
Recently, Mozilla introduced Firefox 85, which added protections against “supercookies.” The update also appears to have dropped support for Site Specific Browser (SSB) functionality, which some users are very unhappy about.
Microsoft clears the air on recent Office PWA outcry
Microsoft has clarified that it has stopped rolling out the recent Windows 10 update that installed Office PWAs without permission.
Microsoft recently pushed a Windows 10 update that covertly installed PWAs (progressive web apps) of Microsoft Office apps without asking users for permission. The update installed Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook PWAs, which are essentially shortcuts to the web versions of these office apps that open up in a browser window. Due to the manner in which the update was pushed, several disgruntled users took to social media to call out Microsoft on its poor practices. As a result, the company has now paused the rollout.
Microsoft is installing Office web apps on Windows 10 without your permission
A recent Windows 10 forced update installs shortcuts for the web version of Office apps including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.
Microsoft recently pushed an update for Windows 10 that covertly installs progressive web apps (PWA) for Microsoft Office apps without asking for permission. The ‘forced update’ installs Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook web-based apps. These are basically shortcuts to the web version of Office that can be accessed through any browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, although the installed apps open through Microsoft Edge only even if your default browser is set to something else.
[Update: New Timeline] Google announces when they'll end support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS
After two years of delays, Google has finally released a timeline to end support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Towards the end of 2017, we learned that Google was planning to replace Chrome Apps with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). The company planned on completely removing Chrome Apps support on Windows, Mac, and Linux by Q1 2018. However, Google didn't follow through with the plan and chose to wait until more Desktop PWAs became available to install on the platforms. The timeline was pushed back several months from the initial plan, with no clear information regarding when Chrome Apps would be phased out. Now, the company has finally released a definite timeline for the process.
Native Alpha lets you transform any website into a native fullscreen web app on Android
Native Alpha is an open source Android app created by XDA Junior Member cylonid that helps you to transform any website into native fullscreen web apps.
A native application may offer richer integration with the underlying OS thanks to having access to more APIs, but running a web-based application comes with its own set of benefits. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) can not only improve the mobile experience but can also behave closely to regular Android applications thanks to the WebAPK standard. While many browsers allow you to transform your favorite site into a web app, making a proper PWA requires some work from the web developer’s end as well. Moreover, power users have very little freedom to customize the PWA generation process.
Developers can now upload Progressive Web Apps to the Samsung Galaxy Store
Samsung adds Progressive Web App support to the Samsung Galaxy Store; invites developers to add their web apps to the platform.
Earlier this year in February, Google Chrome for Android received an update that introduced a whole new category of apps on the Google Play Store. The update essentially allowed developers to publish Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on the Play Store, thanks to Trusted Web Activities which Google announced back in 2017. Now, Samsung is building upon that initiative and introducing progressive web app support to the Samsung Galaxy Store.
PWA2APK helps developers convert Progressive Web Apps to Android APKs in one click
PWA2APK is a platform that turns any Progressive Web App into an APK file which you can submit to the Play Store with one click.
The current climate in the technology industry has transformed the internet into a mobile-first platform. Most of the traffic now comes from hand-held devices rather than desktop computers. The rise of responsive sites and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are helping ensure that mobile users always feel comfortable when browsing the web. Some people even prefer PWAs over native applications. Thanks to the ever-changing landscape of modern technologies, it has become easier than ever to write an application. Some developers don't really rely on native, first-party solutions like Java on Android, instead, using libraries and frameworks.
Chrome 72 adds Trusted Web Activities, letting web devs ship Progressive Web Apps on the Play Store
Chrome 72 for Android now lets web developers publish their sites in the Play Store as Progressive Web Apps using a feature called Trusted Web Activities.
Google's Play Store is getting a whole new category of apps, thanks to an update to Chrome for Android of all things. Now that the stable channel of Chrome for Android is updated to version 72, Progressive Web Apps can now be published to the Play Store thanks to something Google announced in 2017 called Trusted Web Activities.
Android Messages integration with Chromebooks rolls out for the Pixelbook
Android Messages integration in Chrome OS is now rolling out for Chromebooks, starting with the Google Pixelbook on the Chrome OS Dev channel.
One of the most anticipated features for the Android Messages app (now called just "Messages") was its web client, at least among Americans who still send messages via SMS. Messages' web client supports most desktop browsers on all desktop operating systems including Chrome OS, but we discovered that Google was working on deeper integration for Chromebooks. As part of Google's suite of "Better Together" features (which is marketed simply as "Android phone"), the Messages feature lets you send and receive text messages from your Chromebook even if you don't have the Android Messages web client open. This is possible because the Android Messages app will be installed as a Progressive Web App, which has now gone live today along with the Better Together features on the Google Pixelbook.
Android Go - How does Google's lightweight ecosystem compare to the original?
Android Go is Google's lightweight version of Android and features a number of specially made applications too. We've compared them to their full versions.
Android Go is Google's lightweight mobile platform that aims to run on lower system specifications than usual. It's aimed at developing and lower-income areas, where devices with poor processors and small amounts of RAM will be most prevalent. It exists basically to make sure that those in developing nations can still avail of applications and products in the smartphone world. As such, lower specifications requires some applications to be reworked in order to work within smaller RAM constraints. YouTube Go, Maps Go, Gmail Go, and Google Go are all examples of these applications, and third-parties offer them too. But that's not all, as a number of modifications are made to keep system requirements even lower. RAM compression, reduced system memory usage, and better memory management ensures the device will be as quick as can be.
Progressive Web Apps can be enabled on Desktop Chrome right now—here's how
The newest version of Chrome allows you to install Progressive Web Apps -- web apps designed with the flexibility of desktop apps in mind -- to your PC's desktop.
Apps on Chrome generally offer a good user experience, but they can be nightmares for developers who have to navigate the browser's proprietary APIs. Luckily, Google's moving to adopt a platform -- Progressive Web Apps -- that does away with many of the complexities, and it's supported in the latest stable version of Chrome.
Progressive Web Apps will Replace Google Chrome Apps in 2018
Google has sent an email to developers, letting them know that Google Chrome Apps will be phased out in 2018 in favor of Progressive Web Apps.
Are web apps better than native apps? That's the question which users have been debating ever since native apps first made their debut. In smartphones, native apps have proved to be more popular than web apps for their reliability and speed. However, the problem is that native apps are not built using open standards, and in most cases, are part of "walled gardens." To combat the problem, the Chrome team recently launched Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).