Extensions in Google Chrome are small software programs, which can modify and boost the Chrome browser’s functionality. They are written using web technologies, like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. The extensions bundle all their files to a single file, which a user downloads and installs. The bundling means that, unlike ordinary web applications, extensions need not depend on content from the web. The extension could be distributed using the Chrome Developer Dashboard for publishing to the Chrome Web Store.
THE GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER ROCKS
Google’s Chrome browser rocks. It is efficient, reliable and nicely cross-platform. By far, Chrome is the most used browser in the United States as well, with almost 60 percent market share as of July 2017, than 22 percent for the second place Edge/Internet Explorer combo from Microsoft. Chrome has a big ecosystem of extensions, which make the browser much more powerful.
THE BEST GOOGLE CHROME EXTENSIONS OF 2017
For an Android app, Google extensions boost productivity. The extensions make the most popular web browser much more useful and powerful. The following are the best chrome extensions this year.
- Boomerang for Gmail. This extension makes scheduling email delivery easy. For instance, it allows one to respond to an email on Friday afternoon, while it’ still fresh on the mind, but delivery is scheduled for Monday morning to ensure that the recipient sees it. Boomerang also alerts if one does not get a response to an email. A new feature, the Inbox Pause allows control when messages arrive in the inbox.
- Accompany for Gmail. The email that just landed on the inbox and where it came from. Scoop of the sender or senders is possible with Accompany. The extension grabs background information across the web, providing at-a-glance views of anyone sending email, or lacking much data on an individual and the company that the person is working for.
- Toggl. Is an easy to use, lightweight time-tracking app with mobile and desktop applications and a convenient Chrome extension as well. With Toggle, one could easily stop and begin timing activities, set default project and be reminded of tracking the time when it detects keyboard activity but not time running. A free Toggl account provides people all the tools that they need.
- Wunderlist Chrome extension. This extension replaces the new Chrome page with the default Wunderlist-to-do list. The capabilities are limited, but one could add new items to a list and mark current to-dos as done. Still, for a Wunderlist loyalist, it is a fast way of adding something to a list before forgetting it.
- Adguard AdBlocker. This is a top-rated extension that does a great job of removing ads, even in YouTube and other videos too, without blocking browser performance. The extension provides a lot of customizable settings, and phishing and malware protection. Moreover, the developer claims that Adguard works even on websites that user anti-ad-blocking scripts.
- Stealth Mode. It comes from the developer of ADguard AdBlocker. It gets equally high marks from reviewers. It is an extension that blocks third-party cookies as well as prevents online trackers from gathering information about a person. Stealth Mode relies on a database of more than 5,000 trackers that’s updated regularly. The Chrome menu icon of the extension shows how much trackers were blocked on any web page, and a sum of how many were blocked during a browser session.
- Mysms. With this extension, there is no need to tap out a message on Android phone apps on a smart phone since it could be done on a desktop or keyboard. This is the idea behind mysms. It enables sending and receiving MMS and SMS between an Android phone and a PC or a Mac. It requires installing the Android application and the Chrome extension as well. The premium version, which is available at the Android app store i8s $10/year, allows archiving messages in Dropbox, Google Drive and Evernote.
- Click and Clean. Is a suite of free tools which protect online privacy and keep a browser running smoothly. Furthermore, the extension enable easily deleting browsing history, delete cookies, empty cache and more using a time period that one prefers, from the start of the current session to the ‘beginning of time’. The tools could be accessed quickly by clicking the Chrome menu icon of the extension and choosing a tool icon, like Options from the Windows 10-like tile interface.
- SurfEasy VPN. When surfing the internet far from a secure corporate network, it requires easy access to a VPN. This extension of Chrome makes it super easy to turn. The popular service of VPN on and off, switch the region and see how much SurfEasy data protection one has used. One should have a SurfEasy account in order to use the extension. Free accounts provide up to 500 MB of data.
- Page Analytics. For those using Google Analytics, this extension is a must-have. It overlays GA data onto the web pages, thus one could easily see which parts of a web page get the most and the least traffic. One could quickly see key data points, like unique page views, page views, and average time on page and bounce rate for every page. Moreover, one could also check out how many visitors are viewing a page in real time. It is all a helpful data, particularly for digital marketers who are looking to boost the conversions and user experience.
Google Chrome extensions offer a wide array of extra functionality so one could perform tasks easier or get more out of the websites visited. The extensions furthermore help in crafting and building highly effective Android applications. Extensions help add new features to Chrome or modify the current behavior of a program to make it more convenient to a user. Extensions have almost become a necessity, boosting web surfing experience as well as streamline Android application functionality.