Google Is Removing This Chrome Feature to Make Things Simpler

You might have never heard of the Chrome app launcher. That’s why Google GOOGL -0.35% is removing the feature from Apple, Windows, and Linux operating systems starting in a few weeks—though it will still remain on the Chrome OS, where the launcher is a core part of its platform.

The app launcher, which is a feature of Google’s Internet browser, allows users to launch their apps, whether it be email or calendar, from within the browser via a shortcut panel. But Google engineers realized, three years after its debut, that the app launcher had a pretty small audience.
“With Chrome’s continued emphasis on simplicity and streamlining browser features, the launcher will be removed from those platforms,” Google wrote in a Tuesday blog post. Chrome has come under fire before for being slow and a power glutton. In response, Google removed the Chrome desktop notification center icon.
Still, it is going to be rough for the minority of people who do use the app launcher regularly.

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