Google Chrome Integrating Progressive Web Apps Deeply into Android

Google updated its Chrome browser with the ability to pin shortcuts to users’ preferred sites directly to the home screen back in 2015 but the search giant is now planning to make these Web apps more integrated with Android than ever before.

Google in a blog post announced it will be releasing a new version of this feature, starting first with Chrome 57 beta.

With the new version, once users add a Progressive Web App to their home screen, they will appear in the app drawer section of the launcher and in the Android Settings, and will also be able to receive incoming intents from other apps, Google said in a Chromium blog post.

Further, the search giant says that a long press on the notifications from these apps will show “normal Android notification management controls” rather than the controls for Chrome.

The Web apps currently don’t show up in the same manner as installed native apps and Google says that developers have asked for their apps to show up in app drawer section of the launcher. “These differences can be confusing for users and prevent the experience from feeling as cohesive as it could,” it added.

The new Add to Home Screen option will help transition the gap between native apps and Web apps, the company said.[related-posts]