Google today provided a timeline as to when and how it will start phasing out support for Chrome Apps across all operating systems. The company had first announced back in 2016 that it was doing away with Chrome Apps.
Google says that the web as a platform has made substantial progress since the Chrome Apps launch in 2013. The progress of modern browsers and the advent of Progressive Web Apps (PWA) mean that the Web is "in a good position to answer the vast majority of use cases" which can be seen from the success of Figma and Google Earth.
In 2017, Google removed the Chrome Apps category from the Web Store completely. The company now says that starting March 2020, the Chrome Web Store will no longer accept new Chrome apps, though developers will be able to update their existing apps through June 2022.
In June 2020, Google will end support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Macs, and Linux. However, customers on Chrome Enterprise and Chrome Education Upgrade will have an option to extend support through 2020.
A year later in June 2021, Google will end support for Chrome Apps on Chrome OS along with key APIs like NaCl, PNaCl, and PPAPI APIs. Selected customers will have the option to extend support until June 2022 after which Chrome Apps will stop working completely.
Google already has a Chrome Apps migration site in place for developers of Chrome apps with more details.
The above timeline and announcement are only related to Chrome Apps and do not affect Chrome extensions in any way.
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