Chrome OS devices will soon come with Google Meet and Chat pre-installed

In the near future, your new Chromebook will probably have Google Meet and Chat – the company’s video and messaging applications – pre-installed. In fact, should a new Chromium bug report find its way to the finish line, these two apps could very well be installed by default on all Chrome OS devices, new or old.

Add feature flags for preinstalling Chat and Meet on Chrome OS

This CL adds flags for preinstalling Chat and Meet on Chrome OS.
Follow up CLs will add these apps to GetPreinstalledWebApps().

Bug: 1203138 – Credit: 9to5Google

Instead of forcing the Google Play app version of Meet and Chat to be pushed to Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and Chromebases, the company will be force ‘installing’ the PWA or web application versions, since they take no space on devices. If they’re not your cup of tea and you prefer Zoom or an alternative video or chat service, these can be easily uninstalled by right-clicking them and choosing ‘uninstall’ when the time comes.

In a time where it’s difficult for many to be connected, and the pandemic has caused us all to be locked away in our homes, Google’s services have become paramount to bridging the gap for many. In fact, Meet has pushed so many incredible improvements this year, especially for the education sector, that I am going to go ahead and say I’m all for this change.

While some would see it as bloatware, I think that giving users a way to call and message their loved ones out of the box is more beneficial than it is annoying. It’s believed that these updates will reach standard Chrome OS users with version 92, which is due to roll out in just about three months. I’m running OS 92 in Canary on my Pixelbook Go right now and I don’t yet have these flags.