Wi-Fi Sync, More Coming to Chrome OS
- Paul Thurrott
- Sep 01, 2020
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Google today documented a few new features coming to Chrome OS this month, including Wi-Fi sync, a new mic slider, and more.
“Over time, small changes can save you time and help you avoid headaches in your daily routine or with the technology you use,” Google’s Alexander Kuscher writes in the announcement post. “These new improvements for Chromebooks, like Wi-Fi Sync, add up to make it easier for you to get things done.”
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Here’s what’s new:
Wi-Fi sync. Google now syncs Wi-Fi passwords to your keychain so that they are securely saved to your Google account and can be accessed automatically when you sign-in to a new Chromebook. Wi-Fi sync is especially helpful for households that share multiple Chromebooks, the firm notes.
Settings improvements. The search box in Chrome OS Settings features an improved design and a more intelligent search model. In other words, it works more like Google Search, where you can type an approximation of a setting—like “wifi”—and still find the right setting. Settings search is also coming to the Chrome OS launcher soon, with the goal of creating an “everything button” where users can search across Google Search, Drive, Chrome OS Settings, apps, local files, and more.
New microphone slider. Because more people are working from home now and need quick access to this feature for video calls, Google has created a new microphone slider in the Audio settings pane that’s easily available from Quick Settings in the taskbar.
Video recording improvements. The Camera app in Chrome OS now lets you pause and resume video recording, and take a still snapshot while recording. Videos are automatically saved in MP4 format, which makes it easy to share them with friends and edit videos in other apps, Google says.