What you need to know
- Google will soon let Chromebooks launch progressive web apps on startup.
- The new capability is currently tucked behind a flag on Chrome OS 85 which remains in development at the moment.
- Chrome OS 85 is set to hit Chromebooks in a few months, but the feature may remain in development longer.
Chromebooks are set to get a bit of functionality that's pulled from other "real" desktop operating systems -— the ability to launch apps on startup. Spotted in Chrome OS Dev 85 by Chrome Unboxed, the company has added the following flag to the OS.
Desktop PWAs run on OS loginEnable installed PWAs to be configured to automatically start when the OS user logs in. – Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS#enable-desktop-pwas-run-on-os-loginPWA run on login flag
The interface flow also appears user-friendly and simplistic, like much of Chrome. It's still in progress and doesn't just quite work other than what's in the screenshot above, but when it does, it should let users automatically launch apps like Slack, Spotify, Messages, and other Progressive Web Apps as soon as they log into their Chromebook. It's something that Windows and macOS users take for granted, and something that'll take web-apps and make them feel a little bit more like native apps.
Chromebooks aren't perfect, but Google has done a fair bit of work to make sure they remain viable in 2020. It added and improved both Linux and Play Store app support, it's brought in manufacturers on board to push hardware boundaries and even launched the first notebooks on Intel's Project Athena program. It's even a contender for one of the best tablet experiences in 2020 despite Microsoft's multi-year lead in that area. Again. it's not perfect, but it's getting good enough that it's no longer a compromise for most.
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