After the desktop update last week, Chrome OS 88 is starting to launch today. There are several usability improvements in this version, which will be available in the coming days.
The Chrome OS screen saver allows you to turn your Chromebook’s lock screen into a personalized smart display.
The great feature of Chrome OS 88 turns your idle device into a very basic Smart Display. This “screensaver” can browse your Google Photos library, with the ability to select specific albums. Users can alternatively choose the “Featured Photos” or “Earth and Space” galleries.
The time is noted in the lower left corner, while the time (condition and temperature) appears right next to it. In the meantime, Google will note any music playing in the upper right corner. The bottom edge of the screen shows the battery, Wi-Fi status and how many unread notifications you have. There is also the “Exit” button.
We are seeing the option active on a Pixelbook running version 88 in Chrome OS Settings> Personalization> Screensaver. It is activated “when your screen is idle”, with Google calling it a way to “beautify your space with a custom lock screen”.
On compatible sites, WebAuthn allows the Chromebook’s PIN or fingerprint to be used in place of passwords. Your method of unlocking on the device is never shared with the web service, although it can also be used for 2-step verification to replace security keys and phones.
To get started, go to a supported website, like Dropbox, GitHub or Okta, and you will be asked to use WebAuthn for future logins.
Other specific changes to Chrome OS 88 include:
- The Camera app now saves photos and videos to a new “Camera” folder in the My Files app. Previous photos will remain in Downloads.
- You can move between virtual tables by tapping + or twice on + [ or + ] shortcut.
- Instead of accessing drive.google.com/drive/settings, Docs, Sheets and Slides can be made available offline via the Files app.
- The auto-correction UI has been enhanced with better visual feedback when a correction has been made, although there is a new undo method.
- Chrome OS’s magnifying glass can now be controlled / moved with Ctrl + Alt and the arrow keys.
- Google has improved the consistency of touchpad gestures based on the setting of natural or reverse scrolling.
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