In an entry on its official blog (Chrome for Android Update), Google announced that Chrome 56 for Android will be released and will be available in the Play Store in the course of next week. The new browser version for smartphones brings some new features that will enhance the user experience. For example, the update adds a new tab for easier access to downloaded files and saved web pages. But the news now is another: after the announcement of Chrome 56, which is about to reach the smartphones and tablets in the world, the work of Google is aimed at improving its mobile browser again. Today introduced the beta version of Chrome 57 for Android, introducing some interesting news, especially in the support called Progressive Web Apps (PWA).
For those who are not aware, it is an initiative that aims to allow websites the option to offer users functionality and modes of interaction comparable to those of native applications, with the advantage, however, of not requiring any downloads or installation. The addition of a PWA to the home screen, will now appear in the application drawer, as requested from the developer community. Even so, you will also have an information screen like a traditional application that can be used to open a specific link and the display information in the notifications will not be accompanied by the browser icon.
The Mountain View group confirms its intention to make Progressive Web Apps compatible with all browsers running on Android, not just Chrome. In this sense, detailed guides for developers and webmasters will soon be published. The PWA on Android somehow can be compared to what Google calls Instant App, recently introduced in testing phase. In both cases, these initiatives are designed to make it easier, faster and more immediate for users to access the information or functionality desired, which helps to bridge the growing gap between the use of Web content provided by applications and more traditional software that can be downloaded from the Play Store.