What you need to know
- Chromebooks may soon get a new dedicated app store called App Mall.
- It is likely to provide a unified experience like Android apps, web apps, and Linux-based apps.
- It’s currently in testing, locked under the Chrome banner, and will probably launch as a shortcut with the URL “discover.apps.chrome”.
Chromebooks are likely to get a unique app store called App Mall, where users can find all their favorite apps and games.
Google is apparently preparing to launch an App Mall — a dedicated app store for ChromeOS, notes 9to5Google , which is currently in early testing and behind the flag. The ChromeOS App Mall is described as “an app for discovering and installing other apps.”
Although currently stuck behind the flag, 9to5 notes that when it becomes official, there will be a dedicated website (discover.apps.chrome), which has yet to be live. A screenshot shared by 9to5Google shows us a sneak peek of what the web-based experience would look like. It looks a lot like the traditional Play Store with relevant sections and categories.
We can see popular apps like Pinterest, WhatsApp and LinkedIn in the “apps and games” section. Other sections in the pane include the search bar, followed by Home, Apps & Games, Utilities, What’s New, and the Help section.
Users will be able to find Android apps alongside web apps within the App Mall. 9to5 further hints that Chromebooks allow users to install different kinds of apps beyond Android and web apps like games via Steam and Linux-based programs — all of which are expected to be in the same place with the new App Mall.
Still, the App Mall is a welcome addition to ChromeOS and Chromebooks in particular, especially as Google prepares to introduce 15 new devices this year, the company announced in January. Of those 15, six are for advanced use and nine are for learning anywhere, which the company teased along with new Duet AI enhancements for Workspace for Education and Classroom.