To make Chrome OS and PWAs display more similarly to native or mobile apps, the Chromium team has proposed a new API that adds notification badges to Android and web apps on Chrome OS devices.
Browsing: Productivity
Currently, all Linux packages for Project Crostini on Chrome OS are installed directly in a command line interface, which can be clunky for those new to Linux. Google is simplifying the process directly through the native Files app.
Google’s internal Grab and Go project that provides ready to go Chromebooks in the case of a device swap is available for enterprises. Grab and Go reduces employee downtime while also maintaining data security thanks to Chrome OS.
A touch screen issue on Chromebooks and Chrome OS tablets appears related to an experimental touch logic feature that’s enabled by default. The quick fix is to disable the feature while the long-term solution is still being worked on.
Google has added long-press app shortcuts to Android apps on the Chrome OS Dev Channel. These behave just as they do on an Android phone: A tap and hold brings up contextual shortcuts.
Now that Project Crostini is quickly spreading to many Chromebooks: What Linux apps should you install? It depends on what you want to do, of course, so here are two resources that provide Linux “equivalents” of Windows apps.
You can now install Google Duo for voice and video chats on the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 and HP Chromebook X2, even though neither device has a dedicated phone number. Here’s hoping other Chromebooks follow.
Google is adding a dedicated folder for installed Linux software titles in the Chrome OS app launcher to start these apps in one central, easy to find, location.
While you can use the new Android Messages for web on any supported browser, it obviously works well on a Chromebook too. Setup is simple using a browser and the recently updated Android Messages app.
All in all, Better Together seems more like a branded bundle and simple setup of currently existing features. That’s not a bad thing as many Chromebook users likely don’t know about or use features like Instant Tethering, SMS integration and Smart Lock.
This doesn’t quite look like the “Better Together” service I reported on earlier in the month, however, Google announced Android Messages support for the web today. The feature will allow Chromebook users and those on desktops to send, receive, and reply to messages directly in the browser.