Googlebooks can't install the Slack web app on day one

Googlebook is now on sale and shipping to customers and, on day one at least, they can’t install the Slack web app.

Googlebook as a platform relies on two main forms of apps. The first is native Android apps, as Googlebook OS is, at its core, Android. That’s what you’ll use for many experiences including Gemini, Google Photos, music apps, and more. Others, like Gmail and YouTube, instead rely on progressive web apps. That term might sound familiar if you’re a long-time Chromebook user, as Chromebooks bet pretty heavily on progressive web apps (PWAs).

That history aside, Googlebooks directly tell their users to use Slack through the web app. The Play Store puts up a banner saying that Slack is “better on the website” when you try to download the Android app.

That’s correct, frankly, as Slack’s Android app has terrible support for anything besides a standard smartphone.

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But the Slack web app cannot be installed on a Googlebook at this time.

Trying to install the Slack web app as a PWA on Googlebook results in an error message saying that “this app cannot be installed.” You can still create a shortcut that opens as a Chrome tab, but it won’t open in a window.

Other PWAs we’ve tested including Photopea, Squoosh, SnapDrop, and others seem to be working fine. It’s unclear why Slack in particular is broken, but it’s hard to imagine it’s the only PWA not working on Googlebook on day one. More importantly, Slack is a mainstay in the modern workspace, so lacking any form of desktop-level Slack support on day one is sure to leave a poor impression on early Googlebook adopters.

We’ve reached out to Google for more information and will update this post when more details are available.

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