Although they have been formally in Spain for a short time, Chromebooks have just turned 10 years old. Google has taken advantage of the milestone to reflect on the origins of its operating system for computers and talk a little about the news that is to come to the platform.
In case you don’t know them, Chromebooks use Chrome OS as the operating system, a Linux-based system that takes the Chrome browser as the basis of the user experience focused mainly on the web. Over time, this system has continued to evolve by integrating support for the Play Store and Android applications, positioning itself as a very complete alternative to Windows or Mac computers, especially in low-cost models.
Google wants to take advantage of the control it has over Android and Chrome OS to achieve a more integrated experience between computers and mobiles. Specifically, there are 3 improvements that are beginning to reach Chromebooks to improve integration with your Android mobile.
Phone Hub: Android notifications on your Chromebook
Phone Hub is undoubtedly the most important novelty of the update. An icon in the shape of a mobile will appear on the bottom bar of the Chromebook. By pressing on it, we will be able to information about our mobile such as the battery level or the coverage. We will have access to quick settings such as activating the Wi-Fi access point, silence the phone or search for it.
Phone Hub also offers us the possibility of responding to mobile notifications and accessing Chrome’s recent tabs on mobile on the computer. A great novelty.
Wi-Fi network synchronization
Google is expanding the ability to sync Wi-Fi networks between Android and Chromebooks. When you add a Wi-Fi network to your mobile, it should sync from your Google account to appear directly on the Chromebook without having to re-enter credentials.
Send files with Nearby Sharing
A few months ago Google introduced Nearby Sharing, the option to send files between Android devices. This option will arrive in the coming months to Chromebooks so that you can easily and wirelessly send your files from your mobile to your computer and vice versa.
Other news coming to Chrome OS
- New screenshot tool.
- A new tool to save your important files called Tote (screenshots are also saved here from now on).
- Multimedia controls in the quick settings menu.
- New parental control options, highlighting these 2:
- By setting up your child’s account, you can directly add their school email account.
- You can now help your child create a PIN during the initial setup.
- New clipboard that saves the last 5 items.
- New Quick Reply Tool.
- The desktop improves and when you turn on the computer it will recover the windows that you had open when you turned it off.
One of the key points of Chromebooks is their automatic updates system, so these news should begin to reach you the next time the computer asks you to restart to apply the updates.
The entry The Chromebooks are updated in a big way: 3 novelties that improve the integration with your Android mobile appears first in The Free Android.
