Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Chromebooks finally feature an improved Android app experience

By

Google’s latest Chrome OS update is adding some productivity features to Chromebooks. Chrome OS 93, released on September 7,  delivers improvements to the Tote experience, as well as Android apps.

For most people, the most noticeable change relates to seeing screen captures and others files in Tote. Tote, which has its own space in the Chrome OS shelf, will now show three previews of captured screenshots and downloads, without you having to open them. You even can drag and drop pinned content from the Tote into your documents.

A GIF that shows a user right clicking on a spreadsheet and saving it to Tote.

Google says this is much faster than having to search for your files each time. Another improvement to Tote brings the ability to automatically save scans to the Downloads section.

Recommended Videos

Of course, every Chrome OS update also brings some surprises. In Chrome OS 93, this includes some improvements for Android apps. Noted by Chrome Unboxed, Android App windowing is better in this version of the operating system. Though Google didn’t mention it in changelogs, compatible Android apps now display a top bar, which will allow you to resize the window in a few different positions.

These include “phone,” “tablet,” as well as “resizable,” which gives you traditional controls to move the window as you see fit. This can be particularly useful for games, which usually go full screen on Chrome OS when launched.

Other than that, Chrome OS 93 tweaks the launcher which is typically accessed by pressing the “everything key” on the keyboard. With the change, it’s easier to manage your apps in Chrome OS.  As you drag and drop your apps inside of the launcher page, the apps will adapt with an animation to show you how you move.

Smaller things in Chrome OS 93 include rounded corners in picture and picture mode and a status icon for the battery percentage of a stylus.

You can upgrade most supported Chromebooks to Chrome OS 93 today by going to the setting app, choosing About Chrome OS, followed by Check for Updates. After that, your system will restart, and a pop-up prompt will guide you through some of these new features and everything else that has changed.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
This Google Chrome feature may save you from malware
Google Chrome app on s8 screen.

There are probably hundreds of thousands of Google Chrome extensions out there, and with so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know whether the plugin you want to install is hiding malware nasties.

That could become a thing of the past, though, as Google is testing a feature that will warn you if an extension you installed has been removed from its Chrome Web Store.

Read more
This update could extend the life of your Chromebook by years
The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook rear view showing lid and logo.

Google may be readying a change to ChromeOS that could drastically extend the life of Chromebooks, and it may be coming in just a few weeks.

The update would separate Chrome browser support from ChromeOS, which would allow it to receive its own updates faster and independently from the operating system. In other words, it would function exactly how Chrome works on a Mac or Windows laptop.

Read more
These 2 new Edge features are making Chrome look outdated
Copilot in Windows being used in the side panel.

Microsoft has announced a host of updates that will soon be available for its Edge browser, including the Microsoft 365 Copilot feature and Sidebar app support for developers.

The company is showcasing the new features during its annual Build developer conference, which is currently taking place from May 23 through May 25.

Read more