Google released applications in September for Windows and Android users that stored information on a user’s computer while offline and then synced them to the cloud software when reconnected to the internet.
Google has now released Chrome Apps for Macs, offline apps which stored data on the computer and opened from a launcher in the Mac’s application dock.
A Gmail Offline app was the only app from the Google Apps productivity suite that could be opened up without an internet connection. The Chrome Apps launcher included links to the rest of the suite such as Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides.
Third-party software makers had also released Chrome App versions of their online programs. LucidChart, UberConference and several video editing programs had apps that could work offline.
“Your Chrome Apps on Mac behave and feel just like native software,” Google announced in a blog post. The apps could be found by using the Mac tool Spotlight Search just like other Mac programs installed on the computer.
A new section in the Chrome Web Store called For Your Desktop listed Chrome Apps to download to Mac and Android devices. At time of writing there were a little over 30 apps including many games and consumer programs and a handful of business tools.