Google for the first time has started testing Chrome OS 72 in beta form, and the new release brings Assistant to third-party Chromebooks. It will also bring Android 9 Pie to hardware beyond the Pixel Slate. Google has rolled out the beta form of the Chrome 72 web browser across all supported platforms. This is a sizable feature release that also packs its share of deprecations.
With the latest releases, Chrome 72 is now in the beta channel. Chrome on Windows now integrates with the operating system’s WebAuthn APIs. This enables Windows Hello for user verification and two-factor in the browser, as well as U2F over USB, Bluetooth Low Energy, and NFC.
It has additional assistants add support for external authentication devices that connect over BLE. This allows for a UI to guide users during pairing and the 2FA process. The notifications in Chrome 72 for Android will no longer include the name of the page/domain that the media originates from. Labeled as an “Incognito tab,” the system notification will just note that “A site is playing media.”
To use the new beta form you can install Gboard from the Play Store if you prefer it for typing, too. Chrome OS 72 is expected to be available in a stable version in late January.
