Chrome Apps end of life AI-researched
Dependency: Chrome Apps platform Wikipedia
Google ended support for Chrome Apps in January 2025, removing a platform used for browser-packaged art installations and kiosk-mode exhibits.
Chrome Apps were a platform for building desktop-like applications packaged as Chrome extensions, with access to hardware APIs, offline storage, and windowed display modes. Artists used Chrome Apps to create self-contained installations, kiosk-mode gallery pieces, and offline-capable browser art that functioned more like native applications than web pages.
What changed
Google announced the Chrome Apps phase-out in January 2020. Support for non-ChromeOS platforms ended in 2022, and all Chrome Apps — including on ChromeOS — reached end of life in January 2025. Chrome Apps can no longer be installed or launched. Google recommended migrating to Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) or Chrome Extensions, but neither offers the same combination of hardware access, offline capability, and kiosk-mode display that made Chrome Apps suitable for installation art.
Notes
Chrome Apps occupied a unique niche between web pages and native applications. Gallery and museum installations that used Chrome App kiosk mode for unattended display are particularly affected — they need to be rebuilt using different technology. The long deprecation timeline (2020-2025) gave developers warning, but artistic installations are rarely maintained on that schedule.