Chrome OS is subject to consistent updates, and this frequency is measuring up to be game-changing presently. In recent times, it was revealed that the fluid operating system is set to receive a native screen-recording feature, and somewhere along those lines, news of Chrome 89’s availability has broken out, something that always gives more goodies to Chromebooks.
Thanks to Chrome Enterprise release notes, users can see what type of updates Chrome OS will get soon. As of now, this article will discuss salient additions to Chrome 89 and what this latest update has to offer to Chromebook owners. Let’s dive straight in.
What to Expect From Chrome 89
The following is a brief overview of some of the best new features introduced in Chrome 89.
Brand-New Phone Hub
To integrate Chrome OS with your handheld smartphones on a much better level, Chrome 89 will incorporate a distinct “Phone hub.” This will make your Chromebook allow you certain controls over your phone, such as enabling its hotspot, switching it to silent mode, and will even help you find it through a feature called “Locate phone.”
That’s not all, though. This hub will also perform several other functions. Using it, you will view Chrome tabs on your Chromebook that are opened on your phone. Users will also get notifications on their Chromebook right from their phones. This is how it looks like.
Phone hub on Chromebook
You can enable this feature by going to this link and then select the “Enable” option. Chrome will prompt you to restart your Chromebook, following which you should be able to see the Phone hub icon on the status bar.
Enable Phone Hub
Note: This may not be available for everyone at this time. If that’s the case with you, check back after a couple of weeks.
Reinvigorated Sharing Option
Chrome 89 will make it easier for us Chromebook users to share the stuff we find online. Like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media plug-ins have their distinct icons shown on websites for effective sharing. A certain share button will be implemented by Chrome 89, which, upon clicking, will reveal a native sharing menu. This will make your ordeal much less complicated.
New WebHID API
In Chrome 89, the WebHID API will be enabled by default. JavaScript’s device-specific logic needs to be utilized and incorporated somehow, and that is where WebHID comes in. In layman’s terms, this addition to the latest software update will make it easier for diverse controllers and joysticks to connect to your browsers better, thereby negating the complexities involved.
NFC Tags
Near-Field Communication (NFC) tags will be readable and writable by websites following Chrome 89. Apparently, “Web NFC” will come as a default standard and will allow websites to access NFC tags in the hope of uncovering information and data.
DevTools Updates
Google released a video for the major updates coming to DevTools in Chrome 89. Please take a look at it below.
For Trusted Type Violations, debugging will be allowed for developers to set breakpoints and make progress. That was just one of the several new additions to DevTools in Chrome 89. To talk about one more, the Lighthouse panel will now sport Lighthouse 7, and there’s a lot more from where that came from.
To read about each and single new update in the upcoming Chrome 89, visit this post.
