Chrome 155 for Googlebook unlocks windowed web app installs for any site

One of the best parts of using ChromeOS over the years has been the ability to turn virtually any website into a standalone, windowed web app. However, when Googlebook OS launched last week, early adopters quickly ran into an annoying roadblock: Chrome would only let you install websites that were specifically configured by developers with an installable web manifest. Everything else was forced to open as a standard browser tab shortcut.

While Google says that initial restriction was a “conscious design choice,” the user pushback was immediate; and thankfully, the team listened.

According to a new announcement on the Googlebook Community, the rollout of Chrome 155 officially lifts that restriction, allowing you to install any webpage as a standalone app that opens in its own dedicated window.

Deeper integration and desktop-friendly settings

Alongside opening the floodgates for custom web apps, Chrome 155 brings a few crucial quality-of-life improvements that make the browser feel much more at home on a desktop interface:

• Full System Integration: Installed web apps now show up directly in your Googlebook app launcher and can be pinned to your taskbar or homescreen. Because they run through Chrome under the hood, they automatically share your Google Account login, cookies, site permissions, and perhaps most importantly, your installed Chrome extensions.
• Settings in a New Tab: Because Chrome on Googlebook is built on the Android architecture, opening the Chrome Settings menu previously took over your screen with a mobile-style fullscreen interface. With Chrome 155, Settings now opens in a separate browser tab just like on traditional desktop platforms, making it much easier to reference a webpage while tweaking your preferences.

How to install any webpage as an app

This update (specifically Chrome version 155.0.8059.79 or higher) is rolling out automatically over the next few days, or you can force it right now by heading to the Google Play Store on your Googlebook, searching for Chrome, and hitting Update. For what its worth, the option to update is not yet there for me. Once you are on Chrome 155, turning any site into a windowed app takes just a few clicks:

1. Open Chrome on your Googlebook and head to the website you want to install.
2. Click the 3-dot Chrome menu in the top-right corner, hover over Save and share, and select Install and create shortcut… (Note: On sites with native PWA support, you can still click the dedicated Install icon right in the address bar).
3. Click Install on the prompt and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you previously created a standard browser-tab shortcut for a site during launch week, Google recommends deleting that old shortcut first and re-installing the page using the steps above so it properly converts into a standalone window.

Between the recent Samsung “Better Together” rollout and this quick course-correction on web apps, it is great to see Google rapidly addressing day-one feedback to make Googlebook OS feel like a true, uncompromised desktop experience.