Chrome OS 71 is Now Available

Google this week made the latest version of Chrome OS available to Chromebooks, adding a number of useful new features. Four key features apply only to Google’s Pixel Slate, but those should be coming to more Chromebooks in a future release.

“The Stable channel has been updated to Chrome OS 71.0.3578.94 for most devices,” the Chrome Releases blog notes. “This build contains a number of bug fixes and security updates. Systems will be receiving updates over the next several days.”

According to Google, the following features are new to Chrome OS 71 on all compatible Chromebooks:

• Refreshed look for Camera app
• Fingerprint and PIN enrollment in Out of Box Experience
• Autocomplete in Launcher search
• Adaptive top UI in Chrome browser based on user scrolling
• Unified setup flow to connect with an Android phone
• New features for families including app management and screen time limits
• Ability to create semi-full pages in Launcher for customizations

Beyond that, Chrome OS 71 adds three features to Pixel Slate only:

• Launched Android P
• Assistant natively integrated into the OS
• Fingerprint authentication mode
• Portrait mode for Camera app