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As a company deeply rooted in the internet and internet advertising, it is not surprising that Google is heavily pushing web applications, specifically progressive web applications or PWAs. Even on Android, where you have native mobile apps, you still advocate for web-based experiences that are almost as good as native ones. However, there are still some things that PWAs can’t do that are almost too easy for Android apps, but Google is slowly but surely closing that gap, especially when it comes to PWAs running on Chromebooks.
Recent market figures show how Chromebook sales have exploded this year as people scramble to get one for remote school or work. Today, Chrome OS is a long way from the first iterations of the platform and now supports Android and Linux apps, not to mention web-based apps like PWA. However, the latter does not have a single reliable app store, something that Google has been trying to fix through its own Google Play Store.
Last year, Google made it possible for PWA developers to list their apps in an app store that is commonly presumed to be for Android apps only. This supposedly makes it easier for Chromebook users to discover these web apps just by searching and installing them with a single click. Once installed from the Google Play Store, these PWAs look and behave exactly like any other Chrome OS app, which is the idea behind PWAs in the first place.
However, listing your apps on the Google Play Store isn’t the only benefit of integrating with the Google ecosystem. Formally launched with Chrome OS 89 in March 2021, but now available behind a banner, Google Play Store PWAs can also access the Google Play billing system. In other words, these web apps will be able to take advantage of a familiar payment system for in-app purchases, just like native Android apps.
Of course, the price that developers will have to pay is that they will link that functionality to Google Play services and will not be able to bring it to other platforms. Then again, this is exactly how Google plans to woo developers who want the flexibility of progressive web apps, but also the convenience of mobile apps.
