Chrome OS Dev Channel fixes external monitor issues, Crostini stability, changes Files structure and more

Adventurous users on Dev Channel version 69 have an update that’s chock full of fixes and features waiting for them. Google announced the software update on Thursday and while I haven’t gone through the entire change log — it’s a long one! — some of the changes jumped out at me. Here are some of the items I’ve seen so far:

• The new Files layout is present, moving Google Drive to the bottom of the tree and consolidating Android and Linux apps under the new “My Files” section.

• Linux apps that were crashing due to pop-up style function windows — think “tool tips” in Integrated Development Environments — are now stable. Note that Project Crostini features can also be modified through the cros-termina component, so make sure yours is updated. To do this type chrome://components in your browser bar and press the “check the update” button for cros-termina; you’ll need at least version 10869.0.0 for the added stability.
• External monitors that were showing Chrome OS in a washed out mode now appear as they should.
• The notification tray has a slight visual change: The number of notifications is now shown in a small circular icon.

• There’s a placeholder “learn more” link near the Linux Apps (beta) enablement choice is made: The help info is not live yet but will be on this existing support page.
• Picture-in-picture functionality has some behind the scenes improvements, although it’s still not enabled by default; you’ll need to enable it in chrome://flags.

That’s what I’ve found so far, but if you see something additional in this new Chrome OS version, let me know in the comments.

Kevin C. Tofel

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