About a week after releasing version 64 of the Chrome web browser for multiple platforms, Google is updating Chrome OS to version 64 as well.
The update brings all the same browser enhancements including the ability to mute web pages on a site-by-site basis (so that once you mute a page, you’ll never hear an autoplay video again), an improved pop-up blocker, and patches to help protect you from Spectre and Meltdown attacks.
But there are also some changes for Chromebooks, particularly those that support the Google Play Store and Android apps.
First up, there’s now an option on convertible Chromebooks to take a screenshot the same way you would on an Android device: by pressing the power and volume down buttons at the same time.
That option is only available for convertibles because those are the only models that have dedicated volume and power buttons on the side of the device, where they’re easy to access even if the keyboard is folded away behind the screen.
Google says other changes include:
- Revamped Intent Picker for Play Applications (Same window by default with override)
- Lockscreen Performance Improvements
- Enable VPN for Google Play Apps
- Enhancements to our protected media pipeline for Android
- Android Container Auto Update Optimizations
- Touchscreen pairing settings
The update should be rolling out to Chromebooks now.
> Enable VPN for Google Play Apps
This is a step in the right direction. Still… feels weird running VPNs, firewalls and other security/privacy related stuff on an “OS” that’s built, from the ground up, to surveil you. The app ecosystem is even worse.
Incremental updates are helpful, but Google really needs to address the sandboxing of the Android subsystem file system. It is the biggest issue that makes support for Android apps feel “bolted-on”.