Chrome is one of the most popular browsers out there. It’s fast, powerful, and with Google constantly promoting the app, it seems to be everywhere. Commonly known features like extensions, which are plugins that add new functionalities to the browser, make the browser even more powerful. What we are looking at today is a less known but equally awesome feature called Chrome Apps.
What Are Chrome Apps?
In essence, Chrome Apps are just web pages carefully crafted to look like full-blown desktop applications, and they run like desktop applications too. Unlike extensions, aka plugins, that live and work within the main Chrome window, Chrome Apps work within their own windows. They are lightweight and launch instantly since behind the scenes it’s still the Chrome browser doing the work.
While some Chrome Apps, or some of the functionalities they offer, work offline, most of them require an internet connection to function properly, much like Google’s Chromebooks, which use the Chrome browser as the whole operating system.
Why Chrome Apps?
The first reason is the installation is instant. Since you’re basically creating not much more than a browser shortcut instead of installing an app in the traditional sense, the process is just one click.
Also because you are not running an exe file or an app package for the installation, you don’t need to have admin authority. This is really helpful with work computers, where users normally do not have admin authorities.
Finally, as you can imagine, Chrome Apps don’t take up a large amount of space on the drive.
Installation
As good as Chrome Apps sound, they are sadly no longer supported by Google. However, you can still install them if you know what to look for and where to look.
Installing the Spotify Chrome App
To install Spotify as a Chrome App, open the Spotify Web Player in the Chrome browser. You’ll see an Install button in the address bar to the right, click on it, and then click on Install.
If you are running Windows 10, you’ll see the app icon appear on the desktop. If you are on a Mac, the icon will show up in a folder called Chrome Apps in the user’s Applications folder.
The Spotify Chrome App will also launch into its own app interface that looks much like its desktop app.
Recommendations
Here are a few Chrome Apps to get you started.
