If a user tries to submit a mixed form, they will see a full page warning alerting them of the potential risk and confirming if they’d like to submit anyway.
Before M86, mixed forms were only marked by removing the lock icon from the address bar. We saw that users found this experience unclear and it did not effectively communicate the risks associated with submitting data in insecure forms.
To help users identify great experiences as they browse, we are excited to announce that Chrome will begin to highlight high quality user experiences on the web, starting with the labelling of fast links via the link context menu on Chrome for Android. This change will be rolling out starting in Chrome 85 Beta.
Labelling is based on signals from the Core Web Vitals metrics that quantify key aspects of users’ experience, as experienced by real-world Chrome users. The Core Web Vitals metrics measure dimensions of web usability such as loading time, responsiveness, and the stability of content as it loads, and define thresholds for these metrics to set a bar for providing a good user experience.
The changes that site owners make to improve on these aspects work towards making the web more delightful for users across all web browsers. Investing in these critical user-centric metrics helps to drive usability improvements for users and helps businesses see increased engagement.
Links to pages that have historically met or exceeded all metrics thresholds for the Core Web Vitals will be displayed with a new “Fast page” label. This is shown when a user long-presses a link prior to navigating to a page, and it indicates that most users navigating to it have a particularly good experience.
"Fast page" labelling may badge a link as fast if the URL (or URLs like it) have been historically fast for other users. When labelling, historical data from a site’s URLs with similar structure are aggregated together. Historical data is evaluated on a host-by-host basis when the URL data is insufficient to assess speed or is unavailable, for example, when the URL is new or less popular.
Our plan is to maintain alignment with Core Web Vitals as they evolve, so that we are always labeling pages that have optimized against the metrics that are most representative of a user's overall experience. As previously noted, developers should expect the definitions and thresholds of the Core Web Vitals to be stable, and updates to have prior notice and a predictable, annual cadence.
We anticipate that optimizing for the Core Web Vitals may require some investments in improving page quality. To help out, we updated our developer tools to surface information and recommendations: Lighthouse, DevTools, PageSpeed Insights, and Search Console team added a report dedicated to Core Web Vitals too.
Labelling is currently being rolled out to Chrome 85 beta, but if you would like to try labelling today, go to chrome://flags and enable “Context menu performance info and remote hint fetching”. Please note, this flag will only be available on Chrome for Android. Once fully rolled out, users will see labelling if they have Lite mode or “Make Searches and Browsing Better” turned on. Next, navigate to any qualifying page, such as the Wikipedia page for the Internet, and long-press on any link.
We believe the web serves a critical role in our lives, and hope that fast labelling proves helpful to users who are on slow or spotty network connections. Over time, we may also experiment with labelling in other parts of Chrome’s UI. Ultimately, our goal is to provide users of the web with a healthy level of transparency into the experience they may have with a page.
Chrome is committed to working with the ecosystem to ensure a thriving web, and the steps we take, such as the ones outlined above, are designed with these goals in mind.
By Addy Osmani, Ben Greenstein and Josh Simmons, fast page fans.
While people are spending more time at home than on the go, they’re relying increasingly on personal desktops and laptops to make everyday life easier. Whether they’re video-chatting with friends and family, discovering entertaining apps and games, multitasking at work, or pursuing a passion project, bigger screens and better performance have made all the difference.
This trend was clear from March through June 2020: Chromebook unit sales grew 127% year over year (YOY) while the rest of the U.S. notebook category increased by 40% YOY.1 Laptops have become crucial to people at home who want to use their favorite apps and games, like Star Trek™ Fleet Command and Reigns: Game of Thrones to enjoy action-packed adventure, Calm to manage stress, or Disney+ to keep the whole family entertained.
To deliver app experiences that truly improve people’s lives, developers must be equipped with the right tools, resources, and best practices. That’s why we’re excited to introduce ChromeOS.dev — a dedicated resource for technical developers, designers, product managers, and business leaders.
ChromeOS.dev, available in English and Spanish (with other languages coming soon), features the latest news, product announcements, technical documentation, and code samples from popular apps. Whether you’re a web, Android, or Linux developer who’s just getting started or a certified expert, you’ll find all the information you need on ChromeOS.dev.
Hear from our experts at Google and Chrome OS, as well as a variety of developers, as they share practical tips, benefits, and the challenges of creating app experiences for today’s users. Plus, you can review the updated Chrome OS Layout and UX App Quality guidelines with helpful information on UI components, navigation, fonts, layouts, and everything that goes into creating world-class apps and games for Chrome OS.
Even better, as a fully open-source online destination, ChromeOS.dev is designed considering all the principles and methods for creating highly capable and reliable Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), ensuring developers always have quick, easy access to the information they need — even when they’re offline.
Check out a few of the newest updates and improvements below, and be sure to install the ChromeOS.dev PWA on your device to stay on top of the latest information.
New features for Chrome OS developers
Whether it’s developing Android, Linux, or web apps, every update on ChromeOS.dev is about making sure all developers can build better app experiences in a streamlined, easy-to-navigate environment.
Customizable Linux Terminal
The Linux (Beta) on Chrome OS Terminal now comes equipped with personalized features right out of the box, including:
Integrated tabs and shortcuts: Multitask with ease by using windows and tabs to manage different tasks and switch between multiple projects. You can also use familiar shortcuts such as Ctrl + T, Ctrl + W, and Ctrl + Tab to manage your tabs, or use the settings page to control if these keys should be used in your Terminal for apps like vim or emacs.
Themes: Customize your Terminal by selecting a theme to switch up the background, frame, font, and cursor color.
Redesigned Terminal settings: The settings tab has been reorganized to make it easier to customize all your Terminal options.
Developers can now start using these and other customizable features in the Terminal app.
Android Emulator support
Supported Chromebooks can now run a full version of the Android Emulator, which allows developers to test apps on any Android version and device without needing the actual hardware. Android app developers can simulate map locations and other sensor data to test how an app performs with various motions, orientations, and environmental conditions. With the Android Emulator support in Chrome OS, developers can optimize for different Android versions and devices — including tablets and foldable smartphones — right from their Chromebook.
Deploy apps directly to Chrome OS
Building and testing Android apps on a single machine is simpler than ever. Now, developers who are running Chrome OS M81 and higher can deploy and test apps directly on their Chromebooks — no need to use developer mode or to connect different devices physically via USB. Combined with Android Emulator support, Chrome OS is equipped to support full Android development.
Improved Project Wizard in Android Studio
An updated Primary/Detail Activity Template in Android Studio offers complete support to build experiences for larger screens, including Chromebooks, tablets, and foldables. This updated option provides multiple layouts for both phones and larger-screen devices as well as better keyboard/mouse scaffolding. This feature will be available in Android Studio 4.2 Canary 8.
Updated support from Android lint checks
We’ve improved the default checks in Android’s lint tool to help developers identify and correct common coding issues to improve their apps on larger screens, such as non-resizable and portrait-locked activities. This feature is currently available for testing in Canary channel.
Unlock your app’s full potential with Chrome OS
From day one, our goal has been to help developers at every skill level create simple, powerful, and secure app experiences for all platforms. As our new reality creates a greater need for helpful and engaging apps on large-screen devices, we’re working hard to streamline the process by making Chrome OS more versatile, customizable, and intuitive.
Visit ChromeOS.dev and install it on your Chromebook to stay on top of the latest resources, product updates, thought-provoking insights, and inspiring success stories from Chrome OS developers worldwide.
Posted by Iein Valdez, Head of Chrome OS Developer Relations
Sources: 1 The NPD Group, Inc., U.S. Retail Tracking Service, Notebook Computers, based on unit sales, April–June 2020 and March–June 2020.
In January 2020, we announced that we are expanding our phased approach for ending the support of Chrome Apps. That announcement was made due to significant progress of the modern Web and its ability to deliver first class user experiences for users. We continue to invest in rich new capabilities on the Web platform and are committed to pushing the Web forward.
Based on feedback from our customers and partners, we are making the following adjustments to the Chrome app support timeline, with modifications highlighted in bold:
Scheduled Date
Action
March 2020
Chrome Web Store stopped accepting new public Chrome apps. Developers will be able to update existing Chrome apps through June 2022.
Enterprise administrators may continue to submit new private and unlisted Chrome apps to the Chrome Web Store.
June 2021
General support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux will end June 2021. Organizations will be able to use a policy setting to extend support on Windows, Mac, and Linux through June 2022. General support for Chrome Apps on Chrome OS will remain enabled, without requiring any policy setting, through June 2022.
June 2022
Chrome Web Store will stop accepting new and updated private and unlisted Chrome apps.
End support for Chrome Apps, NaCl, PNaCl, and PPAPI for all platforms.
This change does not impact support for Chrome Extensions. Google will continue to support and invest in Chrome Extensions on all existing platforms. Fostering a robust ecosystem of extensions is critical to Chrome's mission and we are committed to providing a useful extension platform for customizing the browsing experience for all users.
For additional support with Chrome app migration, please visit our Chrome Apps migration site. This page will be kept up to date as we progress together through this process.
We thank our community of developers who have provided feedback to help us shape this modified and simplified approach. We are inspired by a future beyond Chrome apps, where the ecosystem continues forward progress leveraging open Web standards across all modern browsers.
Posted by Anthony Laforge, Technical Director, Chrome Platform Team
