Chrome OS 89 is now being introduced and has tons of features for Chromebooks and tablets that run on the Google operating system. You’ll likely notice the cute new app icons first, but there are a lot more new things hiding beneath the surface.
To get the most out of the updated operating system, here is a list of all the new features or apps that Google has added to Chrome 89 and how to use them.
Phone hub
The first of the major updates in Chrome OS 89 is the new one Phone hub App that allows Android users to pair their phone and Chrome OS devices via Bluetooth. Phone Hub monitors and controls many of your phone’s functions from your Chrome OS desktop. So you can:
- Read and reply to messages
- show notifications
- Turn off your phone remotely
- Find the location of your phone
- Sync recent Chrome browser tabs
- Save and share WiFi passwords between your devices using WiFi Sync
- View your phone’s network signal and the remaining battery life.
Phone Hub is available on all Android phones running the latest version of Google Play Services (available at Google play) and all Chromebooks with Bluetooth support.
How to use Phone Hub:
- Turn on Bluetooth on your Android phone and Chromebook.
- On your Chromebook, click the phone icon in the lower right corner, then click “Getting started.”
- Follow the instructions.
- After pairing the devices, click the phone icon again to open Phone Hub.
Updated virtual desks
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Chrome OS 89 introduces several changes to the virtual desktop feature. Desksincluding:
- Support for up to 8 desks at the same time.
- The desks will stay active even after you restart your Chromebook.
- Right click an app window and send it to a specific desk.
- Swipe your mouse pad with four fingers to switch between desks.
To use desks, open Browse mode (either swipe up on the screen or press the Browse button), and select “New desk.”
Dead file manager
The new carry bag App makes it easier to keep track of important files in Chrome OS. The bag will appear on your app shelf when you download a file, take a screenshot video, or take a screenshot. You can also drag and drop files into and out of the tote window, or Right click> Pin a document to add to Tote’s Pinned files Section.
Other updates
In addition to the new “Phone Hub”, “Tote” and “Desks” functions, there are numerous smaller functions in Chrome 89:
- Comment on pictures: You can now write and draw images in the Chrome OS Stock Media app. Just open an image and select the new one “Leave a Comment” Tool next to the Edit button.
- Clipboard Manager: Chrome OS’s new clipboard manager stores the five most recently copied text strings or images. Press the “Everything” key + V. to see your clipboard items.
- Easier media playback control: Media controls are now accessible from the quick menu, and you can pin the controls to your app shelf for even faster access.
- Fast responses from the Google Assistant: While browsing the internet, right-click a word to bring up a Google Assistant powered card. The card contains definitions, translations, and other helpful information about the word you selected.
- New options for family accounts: Family settings are optimized, making it easy to add a child’s school account to your device. The new settings will appear the first time you run Chrome OS after installing version 89, or you can switch to Settings> People> Username and select “Add a school account.”
- Personalized lock screen: You can now use a Google Photos album as your lock screen wallpaper or choose from hundreds of pre-loaded images Settings> Screensaver.
- Scan app: A new scan app is available in the app launcher. You can use an attached scanner device to upload physical files as images or PDFs.
- Screen capture via quick access: The Chrome OS screen capture tool is now accessible from the Quick Settings menu.
This includes the major new changes to Chrome OS 89, but as you can see, this was a major update. There are likely to be other improvements and features in the new version of Chrome OS. If you discover something we missed, please leave a comment below!
[Google 1, 2]
