Google Working on "Chromoting" Apps for iOS, Android

Although Google currently has an Android version of its Chrome Remote Desktop service in the works, an entry in the Chromium issue tracker reveals that an Apple iOS version is also in development. The issue was opened on Wednesday and describes the iOS version as "unpolished."

"The toolbar icons are all placeholder, and the background color behind the host screen needs to be changed from blue to black," reads the Chromium entry. "The upper toolbar for iOS (containing just the back button, so it can barely be called a toolbar), is revealed by tapping on the compass in the lower toolbar. Our plan is to consolidate the upper and lower toolbars into one toolbar that will likely be located in the upper section of the screen."

"The Android client uses native icons which are built into the OS, and we only package the Chromoting icon and one additional icon," the blog adds.

"Chromoting" is the act of remotely connecting to a PC with a Chrome browser installed, or to a Chromebook. All connections are fully secured, and connections can be made available on a short-term basis such as fixing mom's email client from afar, or on a more long-term basis such as accessing applications and files on a PC located in another state.

The great aspect about this solution is that it's fully cross-platform; you can access desktops with Windows (XP and above), Mac (OS X 10.6 and above) and Linux. Eventually, connecting will be more convenient, allowing users to remotely access files and whatnot using a smartphone or tablet on the road.

"We anticipate the iOS client will ship after the Android client given they are different stages of implementation," the blog reads.

For more information about using Chrome Remote Desktop, head here.