Chrome OS Dev Channel got updated on 16th July from 85.0.4176.0 (13302.0.0) to 85.0.4181.3 (13308.0.0).
This new large update is being rolled out mostly to Chromebooks, and as is the case with any new updates, this one too aims at fixing bugs and comes with a few new functions.
Amidst the sea of changes, one of the most notable changes for the new update has to be the Ambient Mode.
When enabled through Chrome, Chromebook’s display will not turn off; this may result in a battery drain if left on. The new update moves the Ambient clock position higher up than it was before and removed fancy transition from the Ambient slideshow to the user password.
An app scaling feature called Ash is enabled by default. This will shrink the app icon size if the available space is exceeded. As for the lock screen, the age-old view password feature has been turned off, and the lock screen media controls will hide when the Chromebook is closed.
Furthermore, the new update has added a new feature flag called Blink that throttles javascript timers to 1 wake up per minute in the background. It will mainly work towards extending battery life. As per the report published by Google, 1 wake up per minute can extend battery life from 4 hours and 42 minutes to 5 hours and 18 minutes.
The update comes with a new printer icon next to the printer name which could indicate the status of the printer. The print preview will directly show the status of the USB printers whether they are connected or disconnected to the computer.
For the Chrome OS settings, the update has removed the “Quick Answers” button, and a new toggle in Smart inputs can disable emoji suggestions. The update comes with the solution to the problem that saved HTML file as a “single file” that created “.html” instead of “mhtml.”
The “Save as” dialog will automatically attach file extensions. One of the major changes is fixing the bug that causes Linux (beta) to reinstall when rebooting the device on some devices.
The previous bug which prompted the computer to install Linux without the user’s consent has also been fixed. The new update allows the users to open multiple files with the “Open with Gallery” option. As for the print job notification, just clicking on it will open the app.
Further changes in the new update are mainly concerned with developers and enterprise users, and some of them include a fix to the fixed aspect-ratio not handling min/max-content contributions, the implementation of page based scrolling in the compositor, added getDevices web feature on Bluetooth, a fix for when page freezes when moving the mouse or scrolling page with an iframe inside another iframe, and much more.
For its enterprise customers, the emoji suggesting feature is disabled by default. As for the important platform changes, the update fixed Chrome OS Chrome casting audio stutters, it improved Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance, enabled Octopus: TCPMv2 (USB Type-C Port Manager) on Octopus boards, updated kernel to Linux 4.4.228, fixed connection problems with WPA3 Wi-Fi.
Additionally, the new update also fixed Pixelbook devices getting soft-bricked when updating to the latest Dev channel, added on-device Assistant support to Lenovo 10e Chromebook Tablet and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet/Lenovo IdeaPad Duet devices. For video conferencing, now PixelBook will use 24 FPS instead of the standard 30 FPS, and finally an update for the HP Chromebook 14, HP Chromebook 11, Acer Chromebook 315, Acer Chromebook Spin 311, and Lenovo 14e touchpad firmware.
