It’s hard to believe that Chrome OS has has been around for a decade, but tto celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chromebook, Google is launching several new features to improve productivity, connectivity and more.
Similar to the way Handoff works on macOS, Google is updating the synergy between Chromebooks and Android phones with the new Phone Hub. With Phone Hub, you’ll be able to pair your Android phone with a Chromebook to create a new window with several useful shortcuts that let you control your phone remotely. This means that you can do things like turn on your access point, mute your phone’s ringer, or turn on the find phone feature without having to get up.
In addition, you will also be able to respond to messages from the telephone exchange, check your phone battery life and cell signal, and open the last two Chrome tabs you’ve been seeing on your phone, making it easier to pick up where you left off when switching between devices.
Google has also updated its Wi-Fi sync feature so that Chromebooks can automatically register in Wi-Fi networks you’re already signed in to on your Android phone or other Chrome OS devices. And sometime in the coming months, Google will also bring the Nearby sharing feature for Chromebooks, so you can transfer files more easily wirelessly (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) between compatible devices.
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In the meantime, to help you work a little faster, Google has added a new screen capture tool to the Chrome OS quick settings menu, which can take screenshots or screen recordings simply by selecting the content on the screen. TThe quick settings menu now has built-in media controls, and to make screenshots and pinned files easier to access, Google has created the new Tote space, which is available on the Chrome OS shelf.
Even the Chrome OS clipboard is gaining momentum, as you can now save the last five items you copied, which can be easily viewed by pressing the All + V button.
The Desk feature has also undergone a redesign that allows you to rearrange tabs and windows across multiple workspaces to help keep information from different projects ranked better, and now there are a new Quick Answers section for anything you right-click on the browser that will provide short definitions or unit conversions.
For parents trying to better manage their children’s devices, Google has also revamped Family Link so it’s easier for them to manage permissions and personal vs. school accounts on the same devices.
Finally, in addition to new icons for apps like Canvas and Explore, Google has also reduced the number of clicks needed to share content and added new controls to the Select to speak feature that allows users to slow down, speed up or pause text-to-speech playback.
In addition to Nearby Share, most of the new features on the Chromebook should start rolling out today, so if you don’t have them yet, check back soon for updates.