Many school districts across the U.S. rely on DIY Chromebook kiosks running Chrome Apps in kiosk mode to collect hourly employee time with Frontline Time & Attendance, Red Rover Time Tracking, or other software. But with Google ending support for Chrome Apps, IT teams must pivot fast—or risk costly disruptions.

🗓️ Deprecation Timeline

According to Google’s official roadmap:

• July 2025 (ChromeOS M138/139): Support for user-installed Chrome Apps ends; only admin‑installed kiosk apps will still function.
• July 2026 (ChromeOS M150): End of kiosk‑mode support for Chrome Apps. Districts on the LTS channel get an extension through April 2027.
• Feb 2028: Final Chrome App support ends Chrome‑wide (LTS users get until October, no additional exceptions).

Key point: if you rely on Chrome Apps to lock down time tracking kiosks, that mission-critical functionality may be unreliable or unavailable starting July 2025 and will completely phase out over the next several years.

🚨 The Lure and Risk of Web‑Only Kiosk Mode

Many districts consider stretching their “DIY” setup by launching a webpage and pinning Chrome into fullscreen or Managed Guest Session. It's a stop‑gap, but very risky:

• No real lockdown – users can exit full screen, access settings, bookmarks, or dev tools
• Security holes – navigating away, tampering kiosk configs, or exposing sensitive data
• Maintenance headache – Ongoing Chrome updates may break fullscreen scripts or session policies

As one System Admin on r/k12sysadmin put it:

“When you go to Devices → Chrome → Apps & Extensions, you'll see ‘Chrome apps will no longer be supported…’” 

Other IT leaders confirm the fragility of stop-gap workarounds when Google stops supporting needed Chromebook functionality:

“Basically what you are looking at is the apps will slowly stop working on them…” (Reddit Source)

📚 And that’s just the beginning. Districts relying on Chromebooks for time tracking also face hardware fragility, inconsistent connectivity, limited peripheral support, TikTok trends (yes, really) and increased help desk load. We break down all these hidden pitfalls in our post: The Real Risks of DIY Time Collection in K‑12.

✅ Why Touchpoint SmartClocks Are the Smarter Choice

Rather than scrambling to retrofit Chromebooks or purchasing new laptops or tablets, Touchpoint offers a purpose-built alternative designed for school environments:

• Locked-down and secure — no browser, no settings, no accidental termination
• Seamless integration — built with and for Frontline Education, Red Rover, and other leading time tracking software
• Hardware reliability — optimized for heavy use, supported remotely, years-longer lifespan than Chromebooks
• Cost-to-benefit — our SmartClocks start at a price point nearly identical to tariff-inflated Chromebook and iPad costs (Education Week)
• Tiered options — including our new SmartClock Lite Mini, which offers reliable touchscreen clock-ins at tablet-like pricing, all the way to full badge-scanning and biometric time clocks.
  
  

🔄 Next Steps for District IT Teams

📣 Final Word

The clock is ticking. DIY Chromebook kiosk setups may seem budget-friendly now — but they won’t work reliably past Chrome OS end‑of‑support milestones. Touchpoint SmartClocks provide a secure, reliable, and cost-effective path guaranteeing uninterrupted service, supported hardware, and no IT headaches.

Replace your Chromebook kiosks with a solution that works today... and tomorrow.

It’s about time.

➡️ Contact us to learn more about the SmartClock Lite Mini and our full SmartClock lineup.