After having made controversy, Google puts an end to the automatic connection and inaugurates the progressive web apps on Windows.
By making Chrome 70 available, Google is putting an end to the controversy that erupted at the end of September: some users had discovered that the web browser was automatically connected and had synchronized their data after identifying themselves on a Google service.
Faced with the outcry caused by this discovery, the Mountain View giant changed his mind, explaining that he had heard from his users and that he intended to back down in the next update. It is now done since Google has just unveiled Chrome 70.
The end of the automatic connection
In this new version, Google has integrated an option allowing users to authorize or not Chrome to connect when they identify themselves on a Google service such as Gmail or YouTube. The option is hidden in the Advanced settings of the browser.
To access it, you must first go to the Chrome Settings by clicking on the main menu then on Settings, or by directly entering the command chrome: // settings in the address bar, and finally deploy the Advanced settings .
Enabled by default, the Allow Connection to Chrome option appears grayed out if you are already signed in to the browser with sync options enabled. It is therefore imperative to manually disconnect from the browser to access the button and deactivate the function.
A new interface for account management
In the process, Google took the opportunity to improve the account management interface. The window now clearly indicates when you are not signed in to any Google service, if you have signed in to a Google service but sync with Chrome is not enabled, or if your browser is signed in and synced with your Google account.
The arrival of Progressive Web Apps
Another important novelty, Google Chrome 70 now supports Progressive Web Apps (PWA) on Windows. Still little used by developers, Progressive Web Apps allow the user to install a web application from the site visited, functioning as an independent application. The mobile version of Twitter or a hidden version of the spotify web player offer, for example, this possibility.
To take advantage of it, go to one of the two sites, open the main Chrome menu and click on Install Twitter… or Install Spotify…, depending on the web app chosen.
You will then have to confirm the installation of the web app by clicking on the appropriate button. The Progressive Web App can then be run like any program installed on your computer.
Uninstalling a Progressive Web App is just as easy, since it suffices to click on the menu with three dots, and click on the button provided for this purpose.
Currently available on Windows only, the feature is expected to roll out with Google Chrome 72 on macOS and Linux.
Finally, for those who do not wish to wait, it is possible to test the Progressive Web Apps by accessing the experimental functions of Google Chrome Chrome. To do this, enter chrome: // flags in the address bar, then pass the # enable-desktop-pwas flag to enabled.