Chrome Story

Chrome OS Launcher Will Search Play Store Instead Of Chrome Web Store Soon

I am no longer sure if I am writing about Chrome OS or Android here. Read this, this, and this. Chrome OS is getting a lot of Android and Android-like features, and here is one more important change. Soon, if your Chromebook has Google Play Store support, the launcher will start showing apps from the Play Store instead of the Chrome Web Store.

Currently, when you search from your Chrome OS launcher, it shows suggestions from the Chrome Web Store. You can then install extensions and apps from there. With this change that we are talking about here, your Chromebook will show you results from the Google Play Store.

If your Chromebook does not have Play Store support, your launcher will continue to search Chrome Web Store for apps. Here is the commit log from the Chromium code repository:

cros:Peeking Launcher

Enable webstore search only when arc is not enabled on the device.

cros: Disable webstore search in favor of playstore

When playstore search is enabled, disable webstore search.

This feature is part of the new Chrome OS launcher, known as the Peeking launcher. This is currently a work-in-progress and we might see this in one of the upcoming Canary or Dev channel releases.

We will definitely share more when it lands in one of our Chromebooks.

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6 responses

  1. Kawshik Ahmed

    Why we need even Chrome OS anymore, if Google making everything Android depended and making the OS look and feel like Android also???
    They could have made a desktop variant of Android, that would have been much simpler to do.

    Reply
    1. Dinsan

      Chrome OS development moves very fast, releases every six weeks. No OEM is allowed to customize Chrome OS like Android. Google has complete control.

      Reply
      1. Kawshik Ahmed

        OEM also can’t customize Android TV and Android Wear. If Google just declared ‘Android PC OS’ is un-customizable by OEM and the updates will be maintain by them Google then it would had same result.

        Reply
        1. Dinsan

          Yes, but that’s be like ditching Android partners.They all will be pissed.

          Reply
      2. Waethorn

        Not entirely true. OEM’s can add app links.

        Reply
  2. Waethorn

    I have a feeling that this is a transitional product revision to get OEM’s used to the idea of a locked or semi-locked Android. I estimate that on or before Android X (10), we’ll see it as a more or less fully-formed desktop platform with minimal OEM customization allowances, and Chrome OS as we know it now will just be assimilated by the Borg.

    Reply

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