This article was published on February 2, 2017

Chrome update on Android will let you pin websites to the app drawer


Chrome update on Android will let you pin websites to the app drawer

Google will roll out an update to the Chrome beta on Android in the “next few weeks” that will allow you to pin certain websites to your app drawer, just like a normal app.

You’ve actually been able to add sites to your Android homescreen since 2015, but the sites wouldn’t show up in the drawer, which could sometimes make things confusing for users who rely on both spaces to launch software. (Personally speaking, I launch more apps from the drawer than my homescreen, since I prefer to keep the latter minimally occupied.)

Mind you, this won’t work for every site, as they have to meet certain criteria to qualify as a Progressive Web App. These sites are also able to send notifications to your device and partially load while you’re offline.

With the upcoming update, you’ll also be able to take advantage of Android’s full-fledged notification settings for each individual website (previously they were all lumped under Chrome’s settings). You’ll see them listed under the Apps section of you Android settings for easier housekeeping.

It’s a small but useful change that will go a long way towards helping websites feel more like native software. For more details on the update and Progressive Web Apps, check out the source link below.

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