Chromebook, ChromeOS and Google Chrome browser news
Chrome OS 86 updates started to arrive on Chromebooks, then stopped and now they’re back. It’s been a wild two weeks for the Stable Channel, but it looks like we’re back on track.
In mid-October, Google began updating Chromebooks to the Chrome OS 86 Stable Channel. Now most devices show that Chrome OS 85 is the most recent, indicating a temporary pull-back of the latest software.
The Stable Channel of Chrome OS 86 is available for most Chromebooks, bringing improved accessibility features, UI changes and new features. Here’s what you need to know.
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t stand the Chrome OS media playback controls showing at the top of my notification stack. Chrome OS 87 could change that, bringing media controls to the Quick Settings of Chromebooks.
Developing apps in Linux on a Chromebook? You might have run into issues accessing them from Chrome OS. Port forwarding has been in experimental mode for several months but Chrome OS 86 makes this feature generally available.
Are you one of those Chromebook users like me, sometimes with dozen or two open tabs? It gets tricky to navigate to the right tab but that appears to be changing with Chrome OS 86 and the new tab search feature.
A new “Global Media Controls” icon looks to be arriving in the system shelf with Chrome OS 86. Might this have to do with Kaleidoscope, the reported video streaming aggregation interface for Chromebooks?
Setting up and signing in to your Wi-Fi network on a new Chromebook or Android phone may become a thing of the past. Chrome OS code commits show work on a feature that would sync your wireless network configuration between the two devices.
Are you an Android user that’s jealous of the AirDrop wireless file sharing feature in iOS and macOS? Don’t be! Nearby Share is practically identical and coming to Chromebooks for Android device users.
Not even a handful of Chromebooks today can output proper HDR video content with the color pop that jumps off the screen. There are some Chromebooks in the works that will have HDR-capable panels, however and Chrome OS 86 will enable that feature.
