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Chrome 58 beta allows for immersive full screen Progressive Web Apps

With Chrome 57 featuring big leaps for Progressive Web Apps on Android, version 58 continues by enabling immersive full screen experiences. Other developer-focused changes include new sandbox iframes and better support when dealing with large data sets.

At the moment, web apps added to the homescreen can hide Chrome’s address bar and other browser interfaces to replicate a native experience. One new change furthers Google’s goal of blurring the line between web and native apps.

Apps can now go completely full screen by declaring a new element in the web app manifest. Non-app UI, including the status and navigation bar, can be hidden allowing for more immersive games, video players, and other rich content experiences.

iframes are often used by advertisements to direct users to third-party content. Resulting in user annoyance and security issues, Chrome does not allow iframes to navigate the top-level page. However, as iframes also allow for embedded payments, the browser now supports a new iframe sandbox keyword to allow for interaction when directly triggered by user interaction.

Lastly, Chrome 58 now fully supports IndexedDB 2.0 for easier and simpler handling of large data sets in the browser. It features new schema management, bulk action methods, and more standardized handling of failures.

Other changes allow developers to customize Chrome’s native media control buttons for downloading, full screen, and playback. Additionally, installed PWAs will be allowed to autoplay audio and video served from origins included in the manifest’s scope without restrictions.

Chrome 58 should hit the stable channel in approximately six weeks.

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

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