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Google Bringing Chrome Apps to iOS and Android

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Google today launched Chrome apps for iOS and Android, which will see Chrome-based apps encased in a native application shell that allows them to be distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Currently, Chrome-packaged apps are written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, but are able to launch outside the browser, access APIs and work offline.

Developers can access an early developer preview of a toolchain based on Apache Cordova, an open source platform for building native mobile applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Using the toolchain, developers can wrap existing Chrome Apps with a native shell, which transforms them into apps that can be sold on the App Store.

chromeformobile.jpg
Example of a Chrome To-Do app running on OS X and Android​
We provide a simple developer workflow for packaging a Chrome App natively for mobile platforms. You can run your Chrome App on a device or emulator using the command-line or an IDE. Alternatively, you can use the Chrome Apps Developer Tool to run your app on an Android device without the need to install an IDE or the mobile platform's SDK.
Click to expand...
Google has made multiple core Chrome APIs available to Chrome apps that are designed to run on mobile devices, including automatic sign-in via OAuth2, push messaging, storage, alarms, file system syncing able to store and retrieve files backed by Google Drive, and more.

In addition to the Chrome APIs, developers are also able to access APIs supported by the Cordova platform.

Chrome mobile apps come following the September launch of Chrome apps that work offline by default and function as native applications. In December, Google brought Chrome apps to the Mac, following a beta testing period that began in May. Chrome apps on the Mac are designed to function like native Mac apps, working offline, updating automatically, and syncing on any computer where a user is signed into Chrome.

Developers have the opportunity to begin working with Apache Cordova and their Chrome apps beginning today, but it may be some time before consumers see Chrome apps in the App Store.

Article Link: Google Bringing Chrome Apps to iOS and Android
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/28/google-mobile-chrome-apps/
Reason077

Reason077

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2007
3,601
3,634
This is great news! A To-Do list app will be a great addition to iOS! It's surprising that nobody has written one already.
 
pgiguere1

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,167
1,200
Montreal, Canada
I thought web apps were officially dead.

People expect great performance from their apps, and so far it seems web apps can't offer that. Just look how crappy the old Facebook app was (before it went native), or how slow the App Store app still is.

Maybe Google will be able to do it better, but I'm highly skeptical. Using native APIs and a native, lower-level, compiled language will always be faster no matter what.

Yes, it means developers have to re-code a lot of stuff when developing for different platforms. But the mobile app industry is so big and potentially lucrative that developers shouldn't cut corners.
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
I certainly don't mind having these available in the mix! They may not often be the best choice, but no harm done.
 
G

Gwonam

macrumors newbie
Jan 27, 2014
19
0
"Currently, Chrome-packaged apps are written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS"

Ew, that's lame. Is "Chrome" just supposed to mean "inefficiently programmed"?
 
Last edited:
Parasprite

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
Gwonam said:
"Currently, Chrome-packaged apps are written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS"

Ew, that's lame. Is "Chrome" just supposed to mean "inefficiently programmed"?
Click to expand...

Describe to me how those are inherently inefficient.
 
szw-mapple fan

szw-mapple fan

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2012
3,477
4,339
Gwonam said:
"Currently, Chrome-packaged apps are written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS"

Ew, that's lame. Is "Chrome" just supposed to mean "inefficiently programmed"?
Click to expand...

Have you ever developed anything? Even written a simple web page? Because all 3 is essential for web apps and is meant to be used together.
 
B

bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,430
492
Unggoy Murderer said:
Haven't we already established that native apps are the way to go...?
Click to expand...

For now, yes. But in the future, the difference will be minimal. Facebook jumped on board HTML5 too fast. But I can see a time in the future where they go back to it. And the problem with Facebook using HTML5 was really the way Facebook cached and fetched all of the elements (especially having such a huge userbase). That is not the case with every app so HTML5 could still be usable right now (and you wouldn't even know it).
 
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