Chrome OS will soon be testing a frequently requested feature, the ability to display the current date and notification icons in the corner of the bookshelf.
Chromebook owners have been asking for the ability to show the date in the corner of the shelf for years, next to the current time. In the Chromebook help community, a post asking you to add the date to the shelf has almost 500 positive votes.
It looks like Google is finally listening to the feedback, as a flag coming soon on chrome: // flags points to Chrome OS getting the date off the shelf. Along with the date, the shelf can also show “important” notifications.
Enable Scalable Status Area
Showing important notification icons and date in the status area when the screen is large enough.
# enable-scalable-status-area
We were able to enable this updated shelf in Chrome OS Canary, taking a look at how the date will appear in the corner. Next to the notification count, the WiFi power indicator and the battery indicator, you will see the current date and time printed in abbreviated form, such as “February 15, 1:10”.
Notably, the date can only appear if you have the Chrome OS shelf attached to the bottom of the screen, not to the left or right. For now, it is not known whether this is a permanent limitation or whether it will be improved before the feature leaves the testing phase.
As for “important notification icons”, Chrome OS considers any notification that is “critical” to be important – as a low battery warning. Likewise, any “fixed” notification, that is, it cannot be dismissed, is considered important. The best example of a pinned notification is the Chrome OS Caps Lock indicator.
If you are curious about the mention that your screen needs to be “big enough”, we investigate further what this means. If your Chrome OS device has a screen between 800 and 1280 pixels wide, you’ll receive only the important notification icons. Anything larger than 1280 pixels wide and your Chrome OS shelf will also get the date.
Google has been working on this “Scalable Status Area” that adds the date to the Chrome OS shelf since January. With that in mind, the sooner this improvement to the shelf could arrive to be tested using the flag above would be Chrome OS 90, scheduled to arrive in April.
FTC: We use affiliate links for cars that generate revenue. Most.
Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: