Chrome OS to borrow another feature from Android

Chrome OS to borrow another feature from Android

Chrome OS, the operating system by Google, is borrowing features from Android. It allows Android Apps to run on Chrome OS. Now, Chrome OS borrowed another feature from Android, i.e., Notification Badges.

Chromestory spotted that Notification badges are on the way to Chrome OS. These Badges are introduced in Android Oreo for pending Notifications.

Chromebooks and Chromeboxes already feature an Android-style app drawer, so presumably these little dots will soon start showing up in there. The indication is that the badges would work for both Android apps and web apps inside Chrome OS.

Recently, Google introduces Chrome OS 64 which allows run apps in background, which pauses app when focus lost in earlier version.

Chromestory shared link of latest codecommit which indicates that Notification indicators are coming. Commit comments are as follows

Cros: Add Notification indicators for shelf app icons

This CL includes:

  • New feature flag (omitting the chrome://flag for now per pm request)
  • Added functionality to Shelf MVC with tests.
  • Added new view to ShelfButton.
  • Added new field to ShelfItem.

Flow:

  • ShelfController now observes MessageCenter.
  • ShelfController sends the Notification ID to the ShelfModel.
  • ShelfModel updates the appropriate ShelfItem.
  • ShelfView::OnShelfItemChanged handles updating the icons indicator.

About the two new maps in ShelfModel:

  • We need the NotificationId->AppId map because when the Notification is deleted, we lose the ability to look up the Notification’s AppId.
  • We need the AppId->NotificationId map so an app can look-up all of its notifications.

However, Google has not finished combining both OS yet. But, it may be possible that Fuchsia OS, an upcoming operating system by Google may have features from both, as it has focused on both IoT devices and desktops.