Google adds ‘App Mall’ to Chromebooks

Chromebooks are known for being easy to use. The celebrated web browser, as many called ChromeOS in its early days, now includes applications from various platforms. However, this has become a problem for Chromebook users.

Now you can run web apps (also called PWAs), Android apps, Chrome apps (will be deprecated by 2025), Linux apps, Steam games, and Windows apps also through Wine. With so many options, users are simply confused about which app to run to get the best experience on ChromeOS.

So, to solve this problem, Google is working on an “App Mall” that will allow you to explore apps that are optimized to run on ChromeOS. For example, YouTube Music is available as both a web app and an Android app, available through the Play Store on Chromebooks. Therefore, App Mall will help you decide which app to install for a better experience.

The Explore app on Chrome OS already displays a “Recommended” label. next to the source of each app to help you decide where you should download the app from. Additionally, it also lets you explore apps designed for Chromebooks in different categories. You can find apps for communication, creativity, entertainment, productivity, etc.

The feature is currently under construction and is hidden behind #CROS-MALL flag, according to recent 9to5Google report. We couldn’t find the tag on the latest ChromeOS stable and beta channels. However, since App Mall is a web-based app, it should be available via discover.apps.chrome (visit) when it’s available to everyone.

To be fair, Chromebooks have gotten pretty powerful over the past few years, and can now even run Steam games and a few desktop programs. So, what do you think of Google’s efforts to put together an easier way to find and explore apps on ChromeOS? Let us know in the comments section below.