This article was published on March 23, 2016

Google is finally killing its silly Chrome app launcher for Mac, Windows and Linux


Google is finally killing its silly Chrome app launcher for Mac, Windows and Linux

If you were tired of navigating around the Chrome app launcher, it won’t be around much longer, according to Google.

Today, the company announced it was getting rid of its wannabe OS-in-your-OS Chrome launcher, which launched three years ago and housed web apps that would launch in Chrome. The change obviously won’t affect Chrome OS, but you’ll no longer see it on Mac, Linux or Windows.

Google says it’s pulling the launcher to streamline and simplify Chrome, and it will be completely out of sight in a few months’ time. In a few weeks, new Chrome downloads won’t even have the launcher bundled with the browser.

By July, it’ll be gone for good.

This won’t affect Chrome’s browser experience; you’ll still find apps via the shortcut in your bookmarks bar, but soon you won’t have to dance around Web apps next time you’re trying to find native apps on the desktop.

Retiring the Chrome app launcher [Google]

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with