The days of dedicated desktop apps may be numbered as Google makes a bold move with its Chrome web browser. In a significant update, the tech giant is paving the way for users to install any website as a desktop web app, blurring the lines between traditional applications and web-based experiences.

Seven years ago, Google announced its intention to phase out all Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux by 2018, a process that ultimately took until 2023 to complete. In their place, the company introduced Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), a concept that promised to revolutionize how we interact with the web.

PWAs are web applications that can be installed on a user’s desktop, behaving much like native apps and programs. This idea gained rapid traction, with Chrome users enthusiastically embracing PWAs, leading to record installations by the beginning of 2022. Now, Google is taking the concept a step further, allowing any website to become a desktop web app through PWAs.

In the latest daily build of Chrome Canary (the cutting-edge version of Google Chrome that typically precedes the stable release by a couple of versions), users can now install websites as desktop apps. The “Save and share” submenu on the desktop version now includes an “Install page as app…” option, thanks to a recent addition by Google.

Clicking this option transforms the website into a dedicated app-like experience, opening in its own window and mimicking the look and feel of a native application. For websites that already offer their own PWAs, such as YouTube or Reddit, the prompt will display the site’s name, making the installation process more intuitive.

The ability to enable this feature in Chrome Canary has been available since February, but it seems to have only recently become fully integrated. To test it out, users can install Chrome Canary and enable the following flags:

chrome://flags/#web-app-universal-install
chrome://flags/#shortcuts-not-apps

As of now, Canary is running an early version of Chrome 124, while the stable build sits at version 122, released in February. Chrome 123, currently in beta, is expected to be released soon, introducing new features such as an integrated PDF reader on Android, an Android-style media player on desktops and laptops, and options for tab group sharing.

Google’s move to allow any website to become a desktop web app through PWAs represents a significant shift in how we interact with the internet. By blurring the lines between traditional desktop applications and web-based experiences, Google is positioning the web as a versatile platform capable of delivering app-like experiences without the need for dedicated software installations.

This development has far-reaching implications for both users and developers. For users, it promises a more seamless and integrated experience, where web-based tools and services can be accessed and utilized with the same ease as desktop apps. For developers, it opens up new avenues for delivering their products and services, potentially reducing the need for platform-specific app development and maintenance.