Install Appspace on ChromeOS Kiosks as an Isolated Web App: A Guide to New Devices and Chrome App Migration

Google ended kiosk support for Chrome Apps after ChromeOS 150. On ChromeOS 151 and later, a Chromebox that still auto-launches the Appspace Chrome App never reaches Appspace. The operating system shows:

Can't launch unsupported Chrome app. Notify your administrator about this issue.

Appspace App 2.100.0 and later installs as a Chrome Isolated Web App (IWA) instead of a Chrome App. You add that Isolated Web App in Google Admin, attach the Appspace Companion Extension, and register or recover the device in Appspace. That is the supported path for ChromeOS 151 and later. See Configure Appspace on ChromeOS Kiosk Devices with Chrome Enterprise.

This guide covers new ChromeOS kiosk installs and migration from the legacy Chrome App. Use one path per device. Do not add the Chrome Web Store Appspace kiosk app as a substitute for Isolated Web App.

Goal: After finishing this guide, you can install Appspace as an Isolated Web App, migrate an existing Chrome App kiosk without creating a duplicate device, and confirm playback on ChromeOS 150 or later.

Note: Isolated Web App packages are hosted after Appspace platform 2603.3.x. Public Cloud is scheduled to receive that platform update in September 2026. Private cloud instances on older versions must upgrade before Isolated Web App registration will succeed.

Key Benefits

• Kiosks launch again on ChromeOS 151 and later — Isolated Web App replaces the Chrome App that ChromeOS no longer starts in kiosk.
• Existing devices can keep their Appspace registration — On enterprise-managed kiosks, Isolated Web App can recover the current device record when Registration Recovery is on before you change auto-launch.
• Appspace hosts app updates — Isolated Web App and the Companion Extension update from Appspace (not from the Chrome Web Store listing).
• Managed identity and device tasks stay available — The Companion Extension supplies serial or MAC identity, managed registration policies, reboot, monitoring, and remote tasks on supported kiosks.
• You can still register in bulk — Serial-number bulk registration remains supported for devices enrolled in Chrome Enterprise, including Isolated Web App.

What This Guide Covers

• When to use a new Isolated Web App install versus a Chrome App migration
• Prerequisites (ChromeOS, Appspace cloud, roles)
• Enabling Registration Recovery
• Adding Appspace Isolated Web App and the Companion Extension in Google Admin
• Finishing a new registration or verifying a migration
• What changes after you switch (playback, offline, updates, console labels)
• A campus digital-signage use case, best practices, and troubleshooting

Prerequisites

• Chrome Enterprise admin access for the organizational unit (OU) that owns the kiosks, and an enrolled ChromeOS kiosk (not an unmanaged device).
• Appspace Account Owner or Location Admin, with device licenses available for new registrations. Migration should reuse the existing license when recovery succeeds.
• ChromeOS 150 or later on the device. Appspace Isolated Web App requires Chrome 150 or later. Google’s Isolated Web App kiosk install allows ChromeOS 134 or later; Appspace still requires 150+.
• Appspace App 2.100.0 or later as Isolated Web App. Do not treat Appspace App 2.98.x or 2.99.x as a ChromeOS 151 fix; those packages are still Chrome Apps.
• Appspace cloud on 2603.3.x or later so Isolated Web App registration and hosted updates work.
• Ability to reboot kiosks. Work one OU at a time. For migration, keep a pilot device before you remove the Chrome App from the whole organization.

Steps

1. Choose new install or migration

Do not add Chrome Web Store App ID gmdgbdlpbnhiogedlhmdiceocbgcbpgi as the Isolated Web App. That ID is the legacy Chrome App. It remains relevant only for fleets that still run Chrome App on LTS 144 / ChromeOS 150.

Record the current state before you change policy:

1. In Google Admin, note the OU, the current auto-launch app (if any), and the ChromeOS channel and version (Stable, Long-term support candidate, or LTS).
2. In Appspace Devices, note name, serial, status, channel, and app version. Migrating units that failed on ChromeOS 151 are often still on 2.98.1.
3. Confirm a launch failure is the OS message Can't launch unsupported Chrome app. If the Appspace player UI is already open, this guide is not the right path.

2. Confirm Isolated Web App hosting is reachable

In a browser, open:

https://cloud.appspace.com/device/chromeiwa/updates.json

You should see a JSON Isolated Web App update manifest, not a 404. Public cloud and private cloud both use this same hostname and the same web bundle ID.

Appspace hosts Isolated Web App and the Companion Extension. They are not published to the Chrome Web Store.

If updates.json is unavailable, wait until your tenant is on 2603.3.x (Public Cloud: September 2026 platform update) before you change kiosk auto-launch.

3. Enable Registration Recovery

Required for migration. Recommended on managed kiosks for new installs so later app updates and reboots keep the same device record.

1. Sign in to the Appspace console as Account Owner. (Enable Registration Recovery is under Global > General, which Location Admins cannot change.)
2. Open the Appspace menu and select Devices.
3. Click Settings.
4. On Global > General, turn on Enable Registration Recovery (help text: Recover device data using hardware ID).

On enterprise-managed ChromeOS kiosks, Isolated Web App identifies the device by serial number or MAC address through the Companion Extension. When you migrate from Chrome App 2.98.1, that identity can recover the existing Appspace registration.

If Registration Recovery is off, the Companion Extension is missing, or the device is unmanaged / not in kiosk, Isolated Web App often registers as a new device (duplicate row, extra license, lost channel assignment).

4. Add Appspace Isolated Web App in Google Admin

Work in one OU. Google Admin labels below follow Chrome Enterprise Isolated Web App kiosk setup (Add web apps to Chrome kiosks).

1. Sign in to Google Admin Console.
2. Go to Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions > Kiosks.
3. Select the organizational unit for the devices.
4. Point to Add and choose Add an Isolated Web App.
5. Enter:
   • Web bundle ID: q3ef272g4rvldlaep2z4ob7unnvuj3v67p5n6ngr3uhrdxqqpwnaaaic
   • Update manifest URL: https://cloud.appspace.com/device/chromeiwa/updates.json
6. Click Save.

5. Attach the Companion Extension

Privileged functions need the Companion Extension: managed registration policies, serial or MAC identity, reboot, CPU and memory reporting, and several remote commands. Isolated Web App may still launch without it, but identity is weaker and registration may not persist.

1. In the Kiosks list, open the Appspace Isolated Web App row.
2. Open Extensions and choose Add extension.
3. Choose Add from a custom URL.
4. Use:
   • Extension ID: mmbodjddllmbjmpcmlegjmgafaeekgob
   • Custom URL: https://cloud.appspace.com/device/chromeext/updates.xml
5. Save.

Do not search Chrome Web Store for this extension. Isolated Web App and the Companion Extension are self-hosted.

6. Set Isolated Web App as the auto-launch app

1. Set Auto-launch app to the Appspace Isolated Web App (not the Appspace Chrome App).
2. Click Save at the top of Google Admin.
3. For migration, do not delete the Chrome App from the OU until a pilot Isolated Web App launches (Step 7).

7. Finish on the device

Reboot the Chromebox (power-cycle if kiosk policy is slow). Isolated Web App should launch. You should not see Can't launch unsupported Chrome app.

Alternatives

New Isolated Web App install

1. Complete the Google Admin steps above. There is no Chrome App to remove.
2. Register the device in Appspace the same way you register any new player (registration code, sign-in, or Advanced Registration: Register Devices via Google CDM when you use that flow).
3. Confirm the device is Online, licensed, and playing its channel.
4. Confirm Appspace App 2.100.0 or later.

Migrate from the Chrome App

1. Registration Recovery must already be on (Step 3) before you changed auto-launch.
2. Reboot a pilot device first.
3. In Appspace Devices, confirm it is the same device: Online, same channel, no new license and no duplicate row.
4. If it registered as new, stop the fleet rollout and contact Appspace Support before you change more OUs.
5. After the pilot succeeds, clear Auto-launch on the old Appspace Chrome App (Chrome Web Store ID gmdgbdlpbnhiogedlhmdiceocbgcbpgi if that is what the OU used). You may delete the Chrome App from this OU only.
6. Roll remaining OUs the same way. Do not delete the Chrome App from the entire organization until you identify OUs that must stay on LTS 144 / ChromeOS 150 Chrome App.
7. After Isolated Web App is stable, you can allow ChromeOS updates again if you had pinned devices to 150.

Google Chrome Device Management (CDM) policy.json advanced registration still applies to Isolated Web App, same idea as the Chrome App. Serial-number bulk registration is supported when the device is enrolled in Chrome Enterprise.

After Isolated Web App launches, confirm the same row in Devices. The Type column still reads ChromeOS (package type is not shown). Confirm Isolated Web App from Appspace App 2.100.0+ and Google Admin auto-launch, not from a new device type label.

8. Know what changes after you switch

Isolated Web App is not a new wrapper around the same Chrome App install.

Use Case

Scenario: A university facilities team runs Appspace on AOpen Chromebox kiosks in student unions. Overnight, ChromeOS 151 rolls out on Stable. In the morning, screens show Can't launch unsupported Chrome app. Channel assignments and licenses are already in Appspace.

The Chrome Enterprise admin and Appspace Location Admin:

1. Confirm Public Cloud (or their private cloud) is on 2603.3.x and that https://cloud.appspace.com/device/chromeiwa/updates.json loads.
2. Turn on Registration Recovery.
3. Add Isolated Web App and the Companion Extension on a pilot OU, set auto-launch to Isolated Web App, and reboot one Chromebox.
4. Verify the same device comes Online on 2.100.0 with the same channel and no extra license.
5. Clear Chrome App auto-launch on that OU, then repeat OU by OU.

If Isolated Web App hosting is not live yet, they use the ChromeOS 150 rollback in the existing Chrome Enterprise kiosk article only until Step 2 succeeds.

Best Practices

• Migrate one OU and one pilot device before a building-wide policy change.
• Turn on Registration Recovery before you change auto-launch on any device that already exists in Appspace.
• Always attach the Companion Extension from the custom URL. Skipping it is the usual reason registration does not persist.
• Leave the Chrome App assigned on OUs that must stay on ChromeOS LTS 144 / 150 until those fleets are ready.
• After Isolated Web App is stable, return to your intended ChromeOS channel. Do not stay on a 150 pin as a permanent design.
• If you use UDP multicast today, plan a different distribution method; Isolated Web App does not include multicast in this release.

Troubleshoot

Related

• Configure Appspace on ChromeOS Kiosk Devices with Chrome Enterprise — Chrome App kiosk settings, Isolated Web App registration note, and temporary ChromeOS 150 rollback
• Supported Devices — Appspace Certified: App for Devices
• Advanced Registration: Register Devices via Google CDM
• Complete list of device properties (Part 1) — printing
• Complete list of device properties (Part 2) — remote.enable
• End of support for Chrome apps (Google)
• Add web apps to Chrome kiosks (Google)