Google Chrome 70 with PWA Support and Stops Controversial Auto Sign-in
Google released Chrome 70 which allows you to stop the controversial forced sign-in feature and it includes support for PWAs on Windows.
Google has started rolling out Chrome 70 on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. This update sees the reversal of the controversial auto-login feature. The feature automatically forced users to log into the browser when they sign into another Google app like Gmail or YouTube. There was much criticism over the login feature from security experts and its own user base. With Chrome 70, the company is reversing course and allowing you more control over it. This version also introduces support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on Windows.
Google Chrome 70
The major change in Chrome 70 for the user concerned about privacy is it now allows you to turn off linking web-based sign-in and browser-based sign-in. When you turn this off, you won’t be automatically signed into the browser when you log into YouTube, for example. Unfortunately, the auto-login feature is still enabled by default, and you must manually opt-out of it. You can do that by going into the “Privacy and security” section in Settings and turn off the “Allow Chrome sign-in” switch.
In addition to the login changes above, the company is also bringing Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) support on Windows. These are simple ways to use websites as desktop apps. They are similar to web apps on the desktop but are more sophisticated. Services like Spotify are available to use as a PWA now.
To give it a try, head to the Spotify PWA site. Then click the Options button in the upper-right corner and select “Install Spotify” from the menu. Then verify you want to install it, and you will have a Spotify icon on your desktop and the Start menu.
There only a few services that offer PWAs currently, but you can expect to start seeing them a lot more soon. We will have a separate article explaining PWAs in more depth as well as how to use them. Also, remember, Google updated the UI of the Chrome browser with the release of Chrome 69; if you don’t like it, here is how to change it back.
Take a look at the video below for more detailed information on PWAs and the other new features in Chrome 70:
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Eddie
October 18, 2018 at 7:23 am
I have upgraded to Chrome 70 and the Allow Chrome Sign-In switch is light blue and will not turn off.
Jim Shunamon
October 18, 2018 at 11:17 am
I’m on Chrome 70. The “Allow Chrome Sign-In” switch is what we used to call greyed-out – it CAN”T be turned off!!! What gives with that?
Any news on another workaround?
Thanks.
Jim Shunamon
October 18, 2018 at 4:21 pm
Well, I figured out how to make it work – sort of. You have to turn off syncing in Chrome. When I did this the “Allow Chrome Sign-In” went to dark blue and I was able to turn it off. However after doing that I couldn’t sign in to my Gmail account. >:-< So I had to go back and turn on syncing, but the only way I could get that to work was to turn the "Allow Chrome Sign-In" back on. It's pretty frustrating really.
I can always access Gmail from a different browser for now but that defeats the purpose.
IMHO Google has been really dropping the ball lately. Ever since the new Gmail was forced upon us I have had nothing but trouble. 2FA is out of sync and when I can finally sign in I constantly have to reload Gmail because it locks up or slows to an unbearable crawl about every 10 minutes.
I don't have any of these problems with either Chrome or Gmail on Android. When it comes to the PC Google either needs to just fix this stuff. There are plenty of other browsers we can use even if they may not be our first choice.