Google’s new Chromebook features make it easier to connect to Android phones

Google has rolled out a massive update to its Chrome OS that brings a host of new features to Chromebooks. While some of these features were announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, others were announced more recently at the company’s developers’ conference, Google I/O 2022. Now, months later, Google has finally started rolling out some of the features that it announced at these event to the eligible devices.

So, here are all the new features coming to Chromebooks in the coming days:

Access your recent photos

Google, last year, introduced a new functionality called Phone Hub on Chromebook. A Phone Hub is essentially a built-in control center that lets users respond to text messages, check their phone’s battery, and turn on tethering among other things all from their Chromebooks. Now, Google has rolled out an update to Chromebook’s Phone Hub functionality that let’s users have instant access to the latest photos that they captured on their phones, even if they are offline.

“After taking a picture on your phone, it will automatically appear within Phone Hub on your laptop under “recent photos.” Just click on the image to download it, then it’s ready to be added to a document or email,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Use Nearby Share with Chromebook

Another feature coming to Chromebook is the ability to use an Android phone and Nearby Share to securely connect a Chromebook to any saved Wi-Fi network.

To use this feature, go to the internet settings page on your Android phone, select ‘Wi-Fi network’ and then select ‘Share’. After that, tap the ‘Nearby’ tile under the QR code, and select the Chromebook that you want to get online. Google says that on doing so, Nearby Share will deliver the Wi-Fi credentials, which includes the network name and the password, and the Chromebook will automatically connect to the Wi-Fi. “And, of course, it will also save for the next time the Chromebook needs to use that Wi-Fi network,” the company added in the post.

Connecting headphones with Chromebook

Google also said that it will roll out a new functionality called ‘Fast Pair’ to Chromebooks later this summer. This feature will make it easier for users to sync their headphones or other compatible accessories to their Chromebooks.

Once this feature is made available, all users will need to do is turn on Bluetooth on their Chromebooks, and it will automatically detect when a new pair of Bluetooth headphones are on, are nearby and are ready to be set up. Google says that a pop-up notification will appear and with one tap, users’ new accessories will be connected and ready to go.

Screencast

Lastly, Google has started rolling out the built-in Screencast app to Chromebooks. Google had announced this app last last month and it lets anyone record, trim, and share transcribed videos automatically uploaded to Google Drive. Google says that the Screencast app will start rolling out to Chromebooks this week.

The post Google’s new Chromebook features make it easier to connect to Android phones appeared first on BGR India.

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