Chrome is Making PWAs on Android More Like Native Apps

After working on Minimal UI, Chrome is now adding support for Window Controls Overlay in Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on Android. The feature is currently being tested behind a flag in Chrome Canary.

Window controls overlay lets a PWA extend its interface into the top bar of the app window while keeping system buttons like close, minimize, and maximize visible. This reduces wasted space and makes the app look cleaner and more integrated, closer to a native app.

Microsoft first proposed and developed a Windows controls overlay for PWAs in Chromium, rolling it out in Edge. Chrome later adopted the feature as well, making it available across both browsers.

Now, Google is bringing the same experience to Chrome PWAs on Android. This means Android PWAs will soon be able to blend system UI controls with their own app layouts. Users may notice apps with a more polished design, where the top bar looks integrated with the app instead of separated.

The feature is still experimental and can be enabled with the following flag in Chrome Canary:

Flag name: Enable Android window controls overlay in PWAs

Description: Allow window controls overlay display mode for PWAs

That’s not all. Chrome for Android is also preparing other features, including built-in grammar checking, the ability to import data from other mobile browsers, media indicators for tablets, and an option to bypass APK download malware warnings.