Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Google apps are installed

Posted by dakini99 on Friday October 30, 2015 @11:31AM
from the self-post dept.

I just installed Google Chrome on my Mac and suddenly Google Drive, YouTube, Gmail, and Google Search apps are installed automatically it seems..

Can Google actually do that? Install a ton of unrelated apps without my permission? Or maybe, such a clause is now being snuck into the ToS?

UPDATE: Even worse, as I just discovered, they can't be deleted from the Launchpad! Neither do they show up in the Applications directory! WTF! How do I get rid of the damned things??

( 7 comments | 3 points | on HN )

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by k8tte on Friday October 30, 2015 @11:39AM (#10478463)

I suppose you mean the "Chrome Apps". they are just shortcuts to the web version of these tools, not the actual tools.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by dakini99 on Friday October 30, 2015 @12:03PM (#10478613)

You're right. They are indeed web shortcuts.

But that doesn't change the fact that they show up as apps in the Launchpad.

Even worse, as I just discovered, they can't be deleted from the Launchpad! Neither do they show up in the Applications directory! WTF!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by scholia on Friday October 30, 2015 @11:51AM (#10478532)

Reminds me of the time I was silly enough to install iTunes on a Windows PC ;-)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by scholia on Friday October 30, 2015 @12:24PM (#10478755)

Thanks for the downvote, whoever you are. Visiting from Reddit? ;-)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by dakini99 on Friday October 30, 2015 @12:27PM (#10478775)

I actually upvoted, for sharing your experience..

Not "from" Reddit, no; but I'm usually a silent participant here..

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by scholia on Friday October 30, 2015 @06:41PM (#10480990)

Funny old world....

I can't be the only person who looked at his processes and wondered what Bonjour was and where qttask.exe came from.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just installed GoogleChrome on a Mac, suddenly 4 other Go... by dakini99 on Saturday October 31, 2015 @03:02AM (#10482053)

Or the fact that the cookies folder in Windows 7+ comes under "protected OS files". It basically has dozens of textfiles from all the ad/tracking companies..

The Cookies folder in C:\Users\username\AppData\Local(or Roaming)\Microsoft\Windows doesn't show when you enable show hidden files but shows when you enter the full path or enable showing protected files.

[ Parent | on HN ]