Tag Archives: Chromebooks

Show what you know with the new ChromeOS administrator certification

Around the world, ChromeOS admins are hard at work, collectively managing 50 million students and educators using Chromebooks and other ChromeOS devices. Some of them are looking after huge fleets across entire school districts, and others are just starting out.

Whatever size or type of organization they support as ChromeOS admins, we’re here to make life a little easier for them with a range of new policies and updates. We’re also announcing a new Professional ChromeOS Administrator certification, to recognize and reward their ChromeOS expertise.

Configure policies using Google Groups

We’re always adding new policies in Google Admin Console, and now have more than 600 to help customize and curate environments for different schools’ and organizations’ unique needs.

To make it easier to configure apps and extension permissions, we’ve introduced group-based policies for new and existing Google groups. Now if an admin needs to install an app for a specific set of users — who may or may not belong to different organizational units — they can simply add them to a group instead of moving them into a new organizational unit.

Here’s how it could play out in a school. Imagine a small group of students needs access to an app for Science Club. These students are from different grades, so they belong to different organizational units — let’s call them Third Grade, Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade. Instead of setting the app policy as “Allow Install” for all kids in those grades (and then hoping the right kids will install the app themselves), you can create a group-based policy that sets the science app to “Force Install” onto the devices of students in Science Club.

On the flip side, if a group of students were getting distracted by an app or abusing it, you could create a custom group to block their access — without having to disable it for all students.

Group-based policies not only reduce the time and effort involved in configuring apps and extensions, but also help avoid the forced install of apps to entire organizational units, saving valuable disk space and network bandwidth.

Gif showing the benefits of group based policy in Google Admin Console

Become a certified ChromeOS administrator

We’ve long been asked about creating a certification for proficiency in administering for ChromeOS, much like our certification for Google Workspace admins. Certifications not only are great for training, but also help with career development and progression and help establish professional credibility. According to the Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report, certified IT professionals earn more than non-certified peers, and the more certifications, the higher the salary. Today, we’re introducing a new Professional ChromeOS Administrator certification. It’s a great opportunity for people to demonstrate their skills as a ChromeOS IT admin, and earn a badge that proves proficiency to peers and prospective employers.

Designed for enterprise and education systems administrators, and junior engineers with at least one year of holistic IT infrastructure experience, the three-hour exam has 50 multiple choice questions and 30 hands-on lab questions. Test-takers have 90 minutes to complete each section. The exam assesses the ability to perform actions from Google Admin Console, including configuring ChromeOS policies and understanding the tenets of ChromeOS.

For the next 12 months, to help organizations build highly skilled and effective teams, Google is waiving the $125 fee and offering the Professional ChromeOS Administrators exam for free to all enterprise and education IT admins. The exam is English only to start, and will be offered in Japanese in early 2023.

Find more information about repairing devices

With 40 million students and educators using Chromebooks, it can be challenging for school IT administrators to find information about which devices they can repair. As part of the Chromebook repair program, we’re partnering with companies like Acer and Lenovo, and now CTL, to spotlight more Chromebooks that are repairable. On our site, schools can easily identify which Chromebooks have commonly repaired components, and find information on how to get them repaired. We’ll continue to expand the program globally soon.

Introducing the world’s first laptops built for cloud gaming

Chromebooks have always been known for being fast, secure and easy-to-use devices. Since their launch more than a decade ago, we’ve improved their capabilities and expanded the variety of devices for people to choose.

Today, we’re taking that effort a step further, by introducing the world’s first laptops built for cloud gaming along with our partners Acer, ASUS and Lenovo. These new Chromebooks bring together gaming hardware features, access to the latest games with cutting edge graphics through the cloud, and software designed to make gaming fast and easy.

A lineup of gaming Chromebooks, powered by the cloud

We are announcing three new Chromebooks today: Acer Chromebook 516 GE, ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip and Ideapad Gaming Chromebook from Lenovo. These laptops come loaded with features that are great for gaming, including 120Hz+ high resolution screens for crystal clear visuals, RGB gaming keyboards (on select models) with anti-ghosting capabilities for added speed and excitement, WiFi 6 or 6E for seamless connectivity and immersive audio to draw you into your game.

  • Image of a laptop with Acer logo and specs including display, WiFi, keyboard, speakers and processor.

    The new cloud gaming Chromebooks

  • Image of a laptop with the ASUS logo and specs including display, keyboard, WiFi, speakers and processor.

    The new cloud gaming Chromebooks

  • Image of a laptop with the Lenovo logo and specs shown include display, keyboard, WiFi, speakers and processor.

    The new cloud gaming Chromebooks

All cloud gaming Chromebooks have been independently tested and verified by leading game performance measurement platform, GameBench, to consistently deliver a smooth, responsive gaming experience with 120 frames per second and console-class input latency of under 85ms1.

Link to a video explaining new gaming Chromebooks. Still image shows the text "1000+ Games? Yep."
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Adding more games and capabilities to Chromebooks

We’ve teamed up with NVIDIA to bring support for GeForce NOW’s highest performance RTX 3080 tier to cloud gaming Chromebooks, so you can stream titles like Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, Crysis 3 Remastered and more at up to 1600p resolution and 120 frames per second, taking full advantage of the 120Hz+ high-resolution displays.

The RTX 3080 membership also boosts your gameplay with features like ray tracing, which simulates how light behaves in the real world to make visuals hyper-realistic. The GeForce NOW app will come preinstalled on gaming Chromebooks, so getting to your favorite game will be even easier.

We’ve also worked with Microsoft to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to Chromebook through an installable web app. You can access and install this app by visiting xbox.com/play. Xbox brings a library of hundreds of games including Forza Horizon 5, Grounded and Microsoft Flight Simulator, accessible through an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Easy access to more than 1500 PC and console games

Chromebooks will now support three leading cloud gaming platforms — Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Amazon Luna2 — bringing with them full PC and console games straight from the cloud.

Plus, the new cloud gaming Chromebooks make it easier than ever for gamers to find the games they love and start playing them in an instant. Just tap the Everything button, find your game on your platform of choice, then launch the game. No installs. No downloads. No hassle.

Search for games on NVIDIChromebook screen animation that shows someone clicking the launcher button, searching for Destiny 2 and launching the game on NVIDIA GeForce NOW

A GeForce NOW and Google Play using the Chromebook’s Everything Button (3)

This search functionality will include games on NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Google Play at launch. We are seeking to include other cloud gaming platforms in the future.

Level up your gaming experience with new accessories

We know gamers love to enhance their gaming experience with accessories, so we’re partnering with leading peripheral manufacturers like Acer, Corsair, HyperX, Lenovo and SteelSeries to ensure their popular mice, headsets and controllers are tested and certified as part of the Works With Chromebook program.

Headset, wireless mouse and controller resting next to each other on a surface with a “Works With Chromebook” badge placed next to them.

From left to right: HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset, SteelSeries Rival 3 wireless mouse and SteelSeries Stratus+ controller, all of which are Works With Chromebook certified

Special offers to get you gaming

Cloud gaming Chromebooks will come with new offers that get you gaming right out of the box. New cloud gaming Chromebooks come with a three-month trial to Amazon Luna+ and NVIDIA GeForce NOW’s RTX3080 tier.4

With these offers, you can play nearly 200 of the 1500+ titles available on Chromebook at no cost, including games like Control Ultimate Edition, Overcooked 2, Fortnite and League of Legends.

Visit chromebook.com/perks from your new cloud gaming Chromebook for more details on these offers.

The perfect flexible device for “undercover” gamers

As we launch the first Chromebooks designed for cloud gaming, we understand that, today, Chromebooks are not necessarily known for being gaming laptops. A lot of people know our devices best for productivity (work, school, documents, presentations and spreadsheets) or online streaming (movies, television and music videos).

YouTube video about cloud gaming Chromebooks, featuring Coach Deion Sanders and his sons Shilo and Shedeur.
10:25

But the new cloud gaming Chromebooks can actually be the perfect devices for gamers who aren’t always seen as gamers — “undercover” gamers, if you will. We’ve worked with actor Winston Duke, as well as Jackson State University head football coach Deion Sanders and his sons, Shilo and Shedeur, to show how easy it is to game on a Chromebook, while of course getting everything else done that you need to as well. It is the ultimate cloud gaming machine, disguised as a Chromebook.

Starting this October, you can order the new Acer Chromebook 516 GE, the ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip and the Ideapad Gaming Chromebook from Lenovo. Learn more about these devices and their features by visiting chromebook.com.

Disclaimers:

1Tested at 1080p when plugged in to power while playing Fortnite and Destiny 2 using early access test accounts on NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

2Luna is available in the mainland US only.

3Sequence sped up for illustrative purposes.

4Limited time offer. Terms and conditions apply.

New Chromebooks built with sustainability in mind

The technology we use has a meaningful impact on the environment. And given how much people rely on laptops in both their work and personal lives, we’ve teamed up with our partners to build some more sustainable options. These new Chromebooks are made with recycled materials and are easy to customize, repair and upgrade.

New devices built with the planet in mind

The new Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition, made of 50% post-consumer recycled aluminum, is the most customizable Chromebook yet. It’s durable, powerful, thin, light and designed to last. You can upgrade the laptop’s memory and storage and replace key parts like the screen, battery and webcam without needing to replace your entire laptop. And if you ever want to switch up your Framework Laptop’s look, simply swap out the bezel with different colors. You can pre-order this device starting today.

A laptop on a desk is being repaired.

The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition is easy to upgrade and repair.

We also recently announced the Acer Chromebook Vero 514, which incorporates post-consumer recycled plastic into its design, including recycled ocean-bound plastic in its internal fan housing and touchpad. It’s durable and comes with molded pulp packaging made with recycled paper, cardboard and other natural fibers. The packaging can also be reused as a laptop stand.

An Acer laptop with a green, wavy desktop background. A gray bubble zooms in on the laptop and shows the text “post consumer recycled.”

The Acer Chromebook Vero 514 incorporates post-consumer recycled plastic.

Earlier this year, we launched the high-performance HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook that brings together powerful capabilities and sustainable design. It uses recycled materials throughout its body, including recycled magnesium in the top, recycled aluminum in the bottom and recycled plastic in the keyboard’s keycaps.

A laptop with a red and purple wavy desktop background. The desktop shows a menu of apps, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook.

More ways to stay sustainable with Chromebooks

Chromebooks are power efficient, providing up to 12 hours of battery life on a full charge. They’re also designed to last, with automatic updates for up to eight years that keep it running fast and secure. And all the Google apps that run on it — like Drive, Photos and Gmail — operate on Google Cloud, the cleanest cloud in the industry.

It’s also easy to share a Chromebook with multiple family members so you can limit the number of devices in your household. You can add multiple profiles on one Chromebook — which keeps each person’s files, apps and settings separate — to personalize your device the way you like it, even when it’s shared.

Don’t have a Chromebook yet? Modernize your existing device with ChromeOS Flex. The cloud-first, fast and secure operating system for PCs and Macs gives you the sustainability-focused benefits of ChromeOS at no cost.

And when you’re ready to let go of your old Chromebook, we’ve made it easier to safely recycle them. Simply search for “electronics recycling near me” on Google to find verified services that can recycle your laptop for you.

GIF showing a Google search for “electronics recycling near me” and a result in Google Maps.

Google Search can help you find electronics recycling locations near you.

From launching sustainable devices with our partners to helping educational institutions repair their old Chromebooks (from Lenovo, Acer, and now, CTL), we’ll continue working toward a more sustainable future.

Meet three Asia-Pacific schools evolving digital education

Access to education is one of the most important enablers for a child’s future success. School resources can often be limited, especially with the sudden shift to remote learning during COVID. Our team works on creating digital solutions for schools to provide a great learning experience for students, whether it’s collaborating across countries or keeping track of academic records.

Increasingly, we’re seeing schools around the world adopt tools like Chromebooks and Google Workspace for Education, transforming the ways teachers deliver lessons, and students learn. And, Asia-Pacific is home to some of the largest user bases for these tools. Let’s meet three teachers from Thailand, Japan, and Australia who have adopted Google for Education tools. 

School students and teachers show how they use technology like Google Meets to make learning a better experience.
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Tell us about your school, and its mission.

Pradchayakorn Hodmalee, Deputy Director, Princess Chulabhorn Science High School Loei: We’re a science-focused school in Thailand where students collaborate on projects with peers from affiliate schools across Thailand and Japan. We create our own standardized curriculum, for which our teachers regularly travel from different regions to meet and jointly design syllabuses and exams. We also take pride in organizing overseas immersion trips to Japan for our students.

Emil Zankov, Leader of Innovation and Enterprise, Pedare Christian College: We’re located in Golden Grove, South Australia. We focus on ‘bringing industry to the classroom’ - and work hard to build an environment where teamwork, friendly competition, and the messy play of learning are at the forefront. These are things that happen out in the real world, and are what the industry looks at when it comes to hiring.

Shinsuke Nakamura, English teacher, Kochi Prefectural Sakawa High School: We’re located in Kochi prefecture, in a small sunny town on Japan’s Shikoku island. Kochi recognizes that students have different motivations and ambitions. So our vision is to create a personalized journey of learning for every student throughout their lifelong education, even as they leave our school and start at a new one.

Why did you start using Google for Education tools?

Emil: What Google for Education tools allow teachers to do is really focus on what they want their students to learn, while the technology sits in the background. We chose Workspace and Chromebooks because of their simplicity and reliability. Knowing that they are going to work time and time again is critical as teachers have very little patience when it comes to technology. In addition, Google’s cloud solutions allow students to easily share their work, which helps them focus on creating content rather than dealing with tech difficulties.

Pradchayakorn: With the pandemic’s travel restrictions, in-person meetings among teachers and student trips to Japan had to be canceled. So we quickly rolled out Workspace to enable teachers to continue communicating and working closely with their peers through tools like Google Meet, Drive and Forms. It’s actually more efficient, as teachers no longer have to commute to another province for meetings. To replace the immersion trip to Japan, we used Workspace tools to organize a four-month-long collaborative project with an affiliate school in Japan. We wanted to ensure our students still have the opportunity to work with peers from overseas and learn from others who may not be similar to them.

Shinsuke: Our vision of seamless, personalized learning meant that we needed to keep digital records of our students’ daily learnings through their elementary, junior high and high schools, so that teachers can continuously track their progress and help them work towards their personal goals. To help with that, the Kochi Prefectural Board of Education gives a Chromebook to every student in its public schools, which are sturdy, secure and easy to use. We also deploy Google Workspace for Education Plus and Cloud solutions in our school to help teachers easily access their students’ records and tailor their teaching methods for each student.

Photo of student smiling and looking at a Chromebook screen

In one sentence, what does the future of education look like for you?

Shinsuke: If high schools could see what these students have learned (in elementary and junior high) and the achievements they’ve made each year, we can create a seamless journey of learning.

Pradchayakorn: Schools will be less and less about learning in a fixed physical setting, and classrooms will no longer have restrictions on how many students can attend.

Emil: It’s having the industry and students collaborate on real-world problems, breaking the notion that the real world is only outside of school.

How we’re making it easier to share files with nearby devices

We built Nearby Share to make it easier to send your content across your devices that are nearby, whether it’s a photo, link, document or even a Wi-Fi password. There are so many ways Nearby Share can help you throughout your day — and some you might not even know about.

To learn more about the technology and how it works, I sat down with Alice Zheng, the product lead for Nearby Share, to have her walk me through some of my most common scenarios.

Phone on left showing contacts to send a photo to with Nearby Share next to a tablet on the right with the image being received

Can I share files between my own devices?

Yes! In fact, this is one of the most common ways people use Nearby Share. Not only can you share files between your own devices, the process is getting even easier.

In the coming weeks, we’re introducing a new update that makes it faster to share files on your own Android devices with Nearby Share. This means that devices logged into your Google account will automatically accept your transfers. This feature will be rolling out over the next few weeks and will be available on devices running Android 6 and above.

A phone animation showing option to send an image to contacts, cursor selects sharing with your own tablet. Screen changes to the tablet automatically accepting the image.

Does Nearby Share only work on my phone?

Nope! You can use Nearby Share across Android phones and tablets, as well as Chrome OS devices. We are also hard at work bringing Nearby Share to the devices that you most frequently use and would want to share files with, and that includes support for more platforms, like Windows PCs, over time.

If my phone doesn’t have Internet service, can I still get the funny photo my friend took of me on our hike?

Absolutely! Nearby Share works even when you don’t have Internet service. We use a variety of connection technologies, including Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, UWB and WebRTC, to automatically find an efficient way for your friend to send you the photo, even if you’re not online.

Can anyone send me files?

There are various ways to share and receive files and it is all up to what you want. With Nearby Share, we offer a set of device visibility settings so you have control over your privacy and how you appear to others. Your device can be visible to Everyone, a subset of your Contacts or just your own devices.

For Everyone, you can choose to have this mode on temporarily or all the time. This means if you just met someone and they aren’t saved to your contacts, but you want to get a photo from them, you can turn this on to have them send you a file. Then, your setting will automatically switch back to your last used setting. If you have your setting set to Everyone all the time, we will also send you a reminder in case you want to change it.

Under Contacts, you have the option to have your device visible to all your saved contacts, or you can select only a subset of contacts to be visible to. And the last option, Your devices, allows you to only be visible to other devices that are logged into your Google account.

Can I send files to anyone?

Just like how we protect your privacy by giving you control on who can discover you, you will also be able to share files with devices that are made visible to you.

To protect your privacy, your Google account profile image will only be visible to people in your contact list. Others will see a generic device icon next to the device name you choose for yourself. This way, you won’t need to worry about disclosing your account information like when sharing directions with a stranger.

But wait - I'm afraid strangers are going to send me inappropriate stuff if I leave my device visible to everyone. How can I stay protected?

As I mentioned, you can control your visibility settings with the options available in Nearby Share; we also offer other features to protect your privacy. With Nearby Share, we will first show you who is trying to send you a file and what the file name is, and only after you accept the transfer will we show you the actual photo or video. This way if you’re somewhere public and you receive a share request, you’ll never have to see a preview of something you don’t want to unless you first accept. And if you’ve made yourself visible to Everyone, with one quick tap you can turn this off and stop receiving sharing requests from people you don’t trust.

Source: Android


6 back-to-class tips for every educator

Whether you’re in Mexico preparing to start classes, or in Australia with your school year in full swing, going back to school can be exciting and overwhelming for students and teachers all over the world. We know that learning is not one size fits all - it is personal. To help amplify educators’ impact, we’ve created a new Back to School Guide to help educators meet each learner where they are – geographically, developmentally and academically.

Use new Classroom tools to support your students

Many educators are searching for new ways to help them create and deliver instruction efficiently, while supporting students effectively. With Google Workspace for Education and Google Classroom, you can set up classes to do everything from creating coursework to distributing assignments and grading. To get started, check out this Classroom training course.

We’ve added many new features to Classroom that we announced during our event, The Anywhere School 2022. For instance, integrated add-ons let you use your favorite education tools like Kahoot! and IXL right in Classroom. And, in partnership with Clever, admins can sync class rosters from most major student information systems (SISs) to Classroom. Schools with Education Plus can sign up for our beta pilot of Elevate Data Sync as we expand into 15 more countries.

YouTube video describing Classroom add ons
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Inspire creativity through video

Distance learning taught us the value of being creative while teaching and learning, from using Google Meet to stay connected to taking students on virtual field trips to explore arts and culture.

A great way to inspire creativity is through video. Our new Screencast app, built into ChromeOS, helps students and teachers share their ideas in class by creating their own screencasts, with built-in transcription. Educators can also record, trim, transcribe and share recordings for their students to review anytime.

Another way to connect is by using the livestream feature in YouTube to share school events with your whole community, in addition to livestreams with Meet.

Those same tools present new ways to reengage students as schools return to in-person environments. Keep exploring ways to use tools like Jamboard, Forms, Sites, Docs, Slides and Sheets to better communicate with students and understand their needs.

Make lessons more personal with adaptive learning technology

Adaptive learning provides students with customized resources and activities to address their unique learning needs. For example, if a student struggles with adding fractions, a teacher might offer additional practice problems. By applying artificial intelligence to adaptive learning, we can explore new possibilities to make the learning experience more personal for each student.

A new Classroom feature called practice sets, globally available in beta, offers students a more personal path to learning. Now, educators can easily transform their own teaching content into interactive assignments and use the autograding tool to cut down on manual grading time. When working on assignments, students receive instant feedback on their answers, and real-time support if they get stuck along the way. Take this new tool for a spin and explore the possibilities.

YouTube video describing practice sets in Google Classroom
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Help every student succeed with accessibility features

Many of the people behind Google for Education are former educators who bring their passion for inclusive learning to their work every day. So we know learners benefit greatly from tools that meet their unique needs.

Accessibility features built into Google Workspace for Education and Chromebooks help students learn in the ways that work for them. Students can utilize visual aids, spoken feedback and Acapela text-to-speech voices on Chromebooks, or use voice typing, captioning, Braille displays, screen readers and magnifiers in Google Workspace for Education. ​​

Not yet familiar with our accessibility features? Take the Tools for Diverse Learners Training to help everyone participate and develop a love of learning.

Keep families involved and in the loop

One of the greatest predictors of student success is family engagement. Easily communicate with families using guardian email summaries in Classroom, schedule meetings with Calendar appointment slots and set up virtual conferences with Meet.

It’s also important to work alongside families to help students use technology responsibly and be critical consumers of digital content. You can share the Be Internet Awesome site, our Guardian’s Guides and the Google for Education Family Tech FAQ for back to school night to teach parents more about this topic. Students have Chromebooks at home? Families can use Family Link to help manage their child’s school account on a Chromebook.

YouTube video explaining Family Link on Chromebooks
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Join the conversation with professional learning communities

Who better to learn from than other teachers? Join one of our Google Educators Groups, professional learning communities of educators from around the globe. Share teaching resources, discuss ideas and keep up with new technology developments. Boost your skills with our Teacher Center training courses and certifications – and be sure to sign up for the latest Google for Education updates.

Have a great, safe and healthy school year, no matter where in the year (or world) you are. And for more tips, be sure to explore our Back to School Guide.

Lucky number Android 13: The latest features and updates

Android 13 helps ensure your devices feel unique to you – on your terms. It comes jam-packed with new capabilities for your phone and tablet, like extending app color theming to even more apps, language settings that can be set on an app level, improved privacy controls and even the ability to copy text and media from one Android device and paste it to another with just a click.

There are many reasons to love Android 13, but here are our top 13:

Personalized to you

  • A customized Android 13 homescreen with complementary colors and app icons that match the wallpaper shows personalization.
  • In Settings, App language for Google Maps is open on an unlocked Android 13 phone. Español (Estados Unidos) is checked under “Suggested.”
  • A music widget is highlighted, showing a Carrie Underwood song playing. The media playback bar wiggles up and down as the song progresses on the Android 13 device screen.

1. Android 13 comes with an evolved look and style that builds on Material You. You can customize non-Google apps to match your phone’s wallpaper theme and colors, making your home screen more cohesive and unique to your style.

2. For the many Android users who speak more than one language, we’ve added a top feature request. You can assign specific languages to individual apps so you can keep your phone’s system in one language, and each of your apps in a different language.

3. Android 13 features an updated media player that tailors its look and feel based on the music or podcast you’re listening to. For example, when you’re listening to music, the media player spotlights album artwork and has a playback bar that dances as you progress through a song. It even works for media played through Chrome.

4. Your wellbeing has been an important theme for Android – and getting enough sleep is key! Android 13 allows you to further customize Bedtime mode with wallpaper dimming and dark theme. These screen options help your eyes adjust to the dark when you're about to go to bed – and get back to sleep if you wake up and check your phone in the middle of the night.

Keeping you protected and secure

5. Gone are the days when you had to share your entire media library with your apps. In Android 13, you can select only the specific photos and videos they’ll need to access.

6. Prevent any unwanted access to your clipboard. If you copy sensitive data like your email address, phone number or login credentials on your device, Android will automatically clear your clipboard history after a period of time.

7. Android 13 helps keep your notifications under control and makes sure you only get the alerts you ask for. The apps you download will now need your explicit permission to send notifications, rather than being allowed to send notifications by default.

Helping your devices work better together

  • The user composes an email on an Android tablet with Gmail open. The user opens the full app library from the taskbar and drags Photos onto the screen in split screen mode with Gmail. With the screen split, the user hard presses on an image from the Photos app open on the right side of the screen and drags it into the email on the left side of the screen.
  • Android 13 phone has Messages open and a text appears asking “Hi Katherine, how’s it going?” Katherine responds “Good! Just got back from the grocery store”. The text bubble expands and transfers to a Chromebook screen. User responds to the text from the Chromebook saying, “Oh nice! Making anything tasty tonight?”
  • Android 13 phone screen with Nest Audio website. User hard presses on image of Nest Audio and taps “Copy.” Image animates to the Nearby Share icon. Nearby Share opens with “Looking for your devices'' pulsing, identifying Liza’s Tablet. The user taps Liza’s Tablet. The tablet animates in next to the phone. The tablet screen shows “Birthday Gift Ideas.” The Nearby Share icon animates in, and the user taps “Paste” to transfer the copied Nest Audio image from the phone screen to the tablet screen.

8. Feel like you’re in the middle of the action with Spatial Audio. On supported headphones that enable head tracking, Spatial Audio shifts the source of the sound to adapt with how you turn your head, giving you a more immersive listening experience on your Android phone or tablet.

9. When you’re on your laptop, you don’t want to break your workflow to respond to a chat from your phone. Soon, you'll be able to stream your messaging apps directly to your Chromebook so you can send and receive messages from your laptop.

10. Android 13 adopts Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, a new Bluetooth audio standard that results in lower latency than classic audio. This allows you to hear audio that’s in better sync with the sound’s source, reducing delay. With Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, you can also enjoy enhanced audio quality and broadcast audio to multiple devices at the same time.

11. You’ll soon be able to copy content — like a URL, picture, text or video — from your Android phone and paste it on your tablet. Or you can start on your tablet and paste to your phone.

12. Multitasking on your tablet is even easier with Android 13. With the newly updated taskbar on tablets, you can see all your apps at a glance and easily drag and drop any app in your library into split-screen mode.

13. Android tablets will register your palm and stylus pen as separate touches. So whether you’re writing or drawing on your tablet, you’ll experience fewer accidental stray marks that come from simply resting your hand on the screen.

Android 13 is packed with these and many other features, like HDR video support on third-party camera apps, an updated media output switcher, braille displays for Talkback and more. And it goes beyond the phone to give you a connected set of experiences across your other devices like your tablets and laptops.

Android 13 is rolling out to Pixel devices starting today. Later this year, Android 13 will also roll out to your favorite devices from Samsung Galaxy, Asus, HMD (Nokia phones), iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo, Xiaomi and more.

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Lucky number Android 13: The latest features and updates

Android 13 helps ensure your devices feel unique to you – on your terms. It comes jam-packed with new capabilities for your phone and tablet, like extending app color theming to even more apps, language settings that can be set on an app level, improved privacy controls and even the ability to copy text and media from one Android device and paste it to another with just a click.

There are many reasons to love Android 13, but here are our top 13:

Personalized to you

  • A customized Android 13 homescreen with complementary colors and app icons that match the wallpaper shows personalization.
  • In Settings, App language for Google Maps is open on an unlocked Android 13 phone. Español (Estados Unidos) is checked under “Suggested.”
  • A music widget is highlighted, showing a Carrie Underwood song playing. The media playback bar wiggles up and down as the song progresses on the Android 13 device screen.

1. Android 13 comes with an evolved look and style that builds on Material You. You can customize non-Google apps to match your phone’s wallpaper theme and colors, making your home screen more cohesive and unique to your style.

2. For the many Android users who speak more than one language, we’ve added a top feature request. You can assign specific languages to individual apps so you can keep your phone’s system in one language, and each of your apps in a different language.

3. Android 13 features an updated media player that tailors its look and feel based on the music or podcast you’re listening to. For example, when you’re listening to music, the media player spotlights album artwork and has a playback bar that dances as you progress through a song. It even works for media played through Chrome.

4. Your wellbeing has been an important theme for Android – and getting enough sleep is key! Android 13 allows you to further customize Bedtime mode with wallpaper dimming and dark theme. These screen options help your eyes adjust to the dark when you're about to go to bed – and get back to sleep if you wake up and check your phone in the middle of the night.

Keeping you protected and secure

5. Gone are the days when you had to share your entire media library with your apps. In Android 13, you can select only the specific photos and videos they’ll need to access.

6. Prevent any unwanted access to your clipboard. If you copy sensitive data like your email address, phone number or login credentials on your device, Android will automatically clear your clipboard history after a period of time.

7. Android 13 helps keep your notifications under control and makes sure you only get the alerts you ask for. The apps you download will now need your explicit permission to send notifications, rather than being allowed to send notifications by default.

Helping your devices work better together

  • The user composes an email on an Android tablet with Gmail open. The user opens the full app library from the taskbar and drags Photos onto the screen in split screen mode with Gmail. With the screen split, the user hard presses on an image from the Photos app open on the right side of the screen and drags it into the email on the left side of the screen.
  • Android 13 phone has Messages open and a text appears asking “Hi Katherine, how’s it going?” Katherine responds “Good! Just got back from the grocery store”. The text bubble expands and transfers to a Chromebook screen. User responds to the text from the Chromebook saying, “Oh nice! Making anything tasty tonight?”
  • Android 13 phone screen with Nest Audio website. User hard presses on image of Nest Audio and taps “Copy.” Image animates to the Nearby Share icon. Nearby Share opens with “Looking for your devices'' pulsing, identifying Liza’s Tablet. The user taps Liza’s Tablet. The tablet animates in next to the phone. The tablet screen shows “Birthday Gift Ideas.” The Nearby Share icon animates in, and the user taps “Paste” to transfer the copied Nest Audio image from the phone screen to the tablet screen.

8. Feel like you’re in the middle of the action with Spatial Audio. On supported headphones that enable head tracking, Spatial Audio shifts the source of the sound to adapt with how you turn your head, giving you a more immersive listening experience on your Android phone or tablet.

9. When you’re on your laptop, you don’t want to break your workflow to respond to a chat from your phone. Soon, you'll be able to stream your messaging apps directly to your Chromebook so you can send and receive messages from your laptop.

10. Android 13 adopts Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, a new Bluetooth audio standard that results in lower latency than classic audio. This allows you to hear audio that’s in better sync with the sound’s source, reducing delay. With Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, you can also enjoy enhanced audio quality and broadcast audio to multiple devices at the same time.

11. You’ll soon be able to copy content — like a URL, picture, text or video — from your Android phone and paste it on your tablet. Or you can start on your tablet and paste to your phone.

12. Multitasking on your tablet is even easier with Android 13. With the newly updated taskbar on tablets, you can see all your apps at a glance and easily drag and drop any app in your library into split-screen mode.

13. Android tablets will register your palm and stylus pen as separate touches. So whether you’re writing or drawing on your tablet, you’ll experience fewer accidental stray marks that come from simply resting your hand on the screen.

Android 13 is packed with these and many other features, like HDR video support on third-party camera apps, an updated media output switcher, braille displays for Talkback and more. And it goes beyond the phone to give you a connected set of experiences across your other devices like your tablets and laptops.

Android 13 is rolling out to Pixel devices starting today. Later this year, Android 13 will also roll out to your favorite devices from Samsung Galaxy, Asus, HMD (Nokia phones), iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo, Xiaomi and more.

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New video editing and productivity features coming to Chromebook

Today we’re announcing new features and apps for Chromebook to take your creativity and productivity to the next level. Whether you’re enjoying your favorite music or movies, creating a vacation highlight reel or powering through work, Chromebook lets you do it all with speed, security and ease — right out of the box.

Over the next few months we’ll roll out new Chromebook features, including video editing tools in the Google Photos app to help you showcase your summer adventures, enhanced app capabilities and features to help you get organized and get things done.

Get in the director’s chair with Google Photos

Share your favorite memories with friends and family and bring your creativity to life with Google Photos’ new movie editor and video editing features — available first on Chromebook this fall.

The upcoming Google Photos movie editor displays on the screen. In the center is a still from a video clip of two people bicycles, with an editing menu open to let the user adjust brightness, contrast, whitepoints and more.

A peek at Google Photos’ new movie editor coming to Chromebook (UI subject to change)

Creating an end-to-end movie made up of multiple video clips, photos, a title card and music can come with a learning curve and take a lot of time. But Google Photos’ revamped movie creation tools help you make high-quality movies with just a few taps. You’ll be able to create beautiful movies from suggested themes, or put yourself in the director’s seat and start from scratch, right on your Chromebook.

Start by selecting a theme and the people (or pets!) you’d like to feature, and Google Photos will make a movie with both video clips and photos. It even intelligently selects the most meaningful moments from your long videos.

For those who like more creative control, you can also build your own movie from scratch with the Google Photos movie editor. Google Photos’ search capabilities make it easy to select, then arrange photos and clips in the order you’d like.

Whether you start from a theme or a blank slate, you’ll be able to trim video clips, or edit them to adjust the brightness, contrast and more. Or you can apply one of the Real Tone filters we added earlier this year – these filters were made to work well across skin tones, so you can choose from a wide assortment of looks to find one that reflects your style. You can also add finishing touches, like music and a title card, to make your movie shine.

GIF walks through the steps of creating a movie from a suggested theme on Google Photos. “Friendship movie” is selected, then two people are chosen – from there, a movie is produced using clips of these people.

Select a theme, like “Friendship movie”, and choose who you want to include and Google Photos will create a movie with clips and photos (UI subject to change)

Google Photos integrates with Chromebook’s Gallery and Files apps, so if you open a video in the Gallery app, you can continue editing it in Google Photos with a tap. You can also use images and videos saved on your Chromebook in the movies you make on the Google Photos app.

And for professional-grade video editing, the LumaFusion app is also coming to Chromebooks. LumaFusion’s multitrack video editor lets you add graphics, visual effects, transitions and distortions, audio tracks and sound effects, narration, color grading and more.

No matter what kind of movie you want to create, from a summer highlight reel to a short film, Chromebook’s versatile and easy-to-use tools and apps have you covered.

Meet new apps, and get more out of your favorites

Whether you’re diving into forecasting at work or preparing and planning for back-to-school season, Chromebook’s preinstalled apps are ready to help. Here are a few new ones we recommend trying out:

  • Gallery app. We’re introducing new PDF editing features to Gallery, Chomebook’s default media app, so you can fill out forms, highlight text, sign documents and add text annotations. No more printing and scanning just to sign a form. You’ll start to see this roll out next week.
  • Screencast app. Anyone can now use Screencast to record, view and share transcribed videos and presentations, whether it’s a virtual lesson or a how-to video or demo.
  • Cursive app. Capture, edit and organize handwritten notes on stylus-enabled Chromebooks. When it's time to share, you can quickly copy and paste your notes into another app or send as a PDF.
A PDF of a lease agreement is on the screen. It’s been highlighted and signatures have been added.

Using the Gallery app you’ll be able to annotate, highlight, edit, and sign PDFs.

And of course, when it’s time to go back to school or catch up on work after a long summer vacation, Google Workspace apps — like Docs, Calendar, Meet and Chat — are already on Chromebook. Whether you’re catching up on emails or collaborating on a group project you paused weeks ago, all of your files will be waiting on Google Drive. And when you want to kick back and relax, entertainment apps are just a tap away. Check the latest trends on YouTube, update your “Summer 2022” playlist on YouTube Music or play a game on Stadia.

A GIF of logos of Chromebook’s preinstalled apps, including Docs, Sheets, Gallery, Camera, Meet, and more.

For creativity, easy-to-use design tools like Canva, Figma and Adobe Express are made to work easily on Chromebook so you can create everything from beautiful presentations to professional-looking social media posts. Apps like FL Studio help you arrange, record, mix and master quality music, and add instruments like synthesizers, drum kits and more.

For a little more support in and out of class, Evernote helps you keep your life organized with great note-taking, project planning and easy ways to find what you’re looking for. Plus, get expert advice to help you succeed from Outlier.org, which provides world-class online college education from the founders of MasterClass. And you have 1000+ powerful PC games on NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Luna to help you unwind.

Check out special offers on some of these apps and others — perfect for college students heading back to school in the U.S.

Manage your life and make Chromebook your own

Recently we’ve added new ways to help you get things done easily, like the newly redesigned Launcher that lets you find what you need with the press of a button, and additions to cross-device features like Phone Hub and Nearby Share. In the next few months, we’re also rolling out some new organization and productivity features to help you manage your schedule and stay focused, with some new ways to personalize your Chromebook.

  • Chromebook screen with a pink background. The new Wallpaper & style app is open, and in it users can select a wallpaper, screensaver, and theme.

    If you’re not the type to plaster your laptop with stickers on the outside, you can now personalize your Chromebook in new ways. Now you can set your wallpaper from one of your Google Photos albums – and even have it automatically change daily. Imagine waking up to see your photos rotate between your friends, parents, pets… you get the idea. You can also see your favorite pictures sway in the breeze or gently float across your screen using one of the new screensaver photo frames.

  • A GIF showing a Chromebook screen going from Light theme to Dark theme. The pink background shifts to a darker red, and the shelf also becomes darker.

    We’re introducing light and dark themes. The “light” theme keeps things bright and airy, while “dark” makes for easy reading at night or in low light, and can help conserve power. You can choose to keep your laptop on one theme all the time, or choose “auto” to have your Chromebook automatically transition from light to dark when day turns to night. Bonus: some new wallpapers are made for both themes, so your wallpaper will subtly shift from light to dark, too.

  • The GIF starts with several windows open in a desk titled “Research Project”. The user taps on “save for later” and the desk contents condense, and several saved desks show on the screen.

    You might already use virtual desks to keep all your related apps and windows grouped and organized when you’re focusing on a specific project, like one desk for a research project and another for planning a vacation (as you can see, I think a lot about vacations). Soon you’ll be able to save and close an entire desk, including all windows and apps — perfect for when it’s time to shift gears and focus on emailing friends or family. When you’re ready to get back to it, you can open your saved windows and tabs with a tap. And once your project is done (and who doesn’t love that feeling?), you can also close all open windows at once.

  • The new monthly calendar view is open on the right side of the screen.

    Last but not least, tap on the date on your Chromebook shelf and a monthly calendar will now pop up on the side of your screen. Select any date to see your Google Calendar events in more detail and check your availability at a glance – no need to open another app or browser tab. Notifications are also getting an upgrade. Notifications from the same sender will be grouped together, plus larger buttons make it easier to join a meeting or respond to a message, right from the notification.

We’re keeping busy through the rest of the summer making Chromebook even more useful and powerful. We’ll be back to share more updates soon.

New video editing and productivity features coming to Chromebook

Today we’re announcing new features and apps for Chromebook to take your creativity and productivity to the next level. Whether you’re enjoying your favorite music or movies, creating a vacation highlight reel or powering through work, Chromebook lets you do it all with speed, security and ease — right out of the box.

Over the next few months we’ll roll out new Chromebook features, including video editing tools in the Google Photos app to help you showcase your summer adventures, enhanced app capabilities and features to help you get organized and get things done.

Get in the director’s chair with Google Photos

Share your favorite memories with friends and family and bring your creativity to life with Google Photos’ new movie editor and video editing features — available first on Chromebook this fall.

The upcoming Google Photos movie editor displays on the screen. In the center is a still from a video clip of two people bicycles, with an editing menu open to let the user adjust brightness, contrast, whitepoints and more.

A peek at Google Photos’ new movie editor coming to Chromebook (UI subject to change)

Creating an end-to-end movie made up of multiple video clips, photos, a title card and music can come with a learning curve and take a lot of time. But Google Photos’ revamped movie creation tools help you make high-quality movies with just a few taps. You’ll be able to create beautiful movies from suggested themes, or put yourself in the director’s seat and start from scratch, right on your Chromebook.

Start by selecting a theme and the people (or pets!) you’d like to feature, and Google Photos will make a movie with both video clips and photos. It even intelligently selects the most meaningful moments from your long videos.

For those who like more creative control, you can also build your own movie from scratch with the Google Photos movie editor. Google Photos’ search capabilities make it easy to select, then arrange photos and clips in the order you’d like.

Whether you start from a theme or a blank slate, you’ll be able to trim video clips, or edit them to adjust the brightness, contrast and more. Or you can apply one of the Real Tone filters we added earlier this year – these filters were made to work well across skin tones, so you can choose from a wide assortment of looks to find one that reflects your style. You can also add finishing touches, like music and a title card, to make your movie shine.

GIF walks through the steps of creating a movie from a suggested theme on Google Photos. “Friendship movie” is selected, then two people are chosen – from there, a movie is produced using clips of these people.

Select a theme, like “Friendship movie”, and choose who you want to include and Google Photos will create a movie with clips and photos (UI subject to change)

Google Photos integrates with Chromebook’s Gallery and Files apps, so if you open a video in the Gallery app, you can continue editing it in Google Photos with a tap. You can also use images and videos saved on your Chromebook in the movies you make on the Google Photos app.

And for professional-grade video editing, the LumaFusion app is also coming to Chromebooks. LumaFusion’s multitrack video editor lets you add graphics, visual effects, transitions and distortions, audio tracks and sound effects, narration, color grading and more.

No matter what kind of movie you want to create, from a summer highlight reel to a short film, Chromebook’s versatile and easy-to-use tools and apps have you covered.

Meet new apps, and get more out of your favorites

Whether you’re diving into forecasting at work or preparing and planning for back-to-school season, Chromebook’s preinstalled apps are ready to help. Here are a few new ones we recommend trying out:

  • Gallery app. We’re introducing new PDF editing features to Gallery, Chomebook’s default media app, so you can fill out forms, highlight text, sign documents and add text annotations. No more printing and scanning just to sign a form. You’ll start to see this roll out next week.
  • Screencast app. Anyone can now use Screencast to record, view and share transcribed videos and presentations, whether it’s a virtual lesson or a how-to video or demo.
  • Cursive app. Capture, edit and organize handwritten notes on stylus-enabled Chromebooks. When it's time to share, you can quickly copy and paste your notes into another app or send as a PDF.
A PDF of a lease agreement is on the screen. It’s been highlighted and signatures have been added.

Using the Gallery app you’ll be able to annotate, highlight, edit, and sign PDFs.

And of course, when it’s time to go back to school or catch up on work after a long summer vacation, Google Workspace apps — like Docs, Calendar, Meet and Chat — are already on Chromebook. Whether you’re catching up on emails or collaborating on a group project you paused weeks ago, all of your files will be waiting on Google Drive. And when you want to kick back and relax, entertainment apps are just a tap away. Check the latest trends on YouTube, update your “Summer 2022” playlist on YouTube Music or play a game on Stadia.

A GIF of logos of Chromebook’s preinstalled apps, including Docs, Sheets, Gallery, Camera, Meet, and more.

For creativity, easy-to-use design tools like Canva, Figma and Adobe Express are made to work easily on Chromebook so you can create everything from beautiful presentations to professional-looking social media posts. Apps like FL Studio help you arrange, record, mix and master quality music, and add instruments like synthesizers, drum kits and more.

For a little more support in and out of class, Evernote helps you keep your life organized with great note-taking, project planning and easy ways to find what you’re looking for. Plus, get expert advice to help you succeed from Outlier.org, which provides world-class online college education from the founders of MasterClass. And you have 1000+ powerful PC games on NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Luna to help you unwind.

Check out special offers on some of these apps and others — perfect for college students heading back to school in the U.S.

Manage your life and make Chromebook your own

Recently we’ve added new ways to help you get things done easily, like the newly redesigned Launcher that lets you find what you need with the press of a button, and additions to cross-device features like Phone Hub and Nearby Share. In the next few months, we’re also rolling out some new organization and productivity features to help you manage your schedule and stay focused, with some new ways to personalize your Chromebook.

  • Chromebook screen with a pink background. The new Wallpaper & style app is open, and in it users can select a wallpaper, screensaver, and theme.

    If you’re not the type to plaster your laptop with stickers on the outside, you can now personalize your Chromebook in new ways. Now you can set your wallpaper from one of your Google Photos albums – and even have it automatically change daily. Imagine waking up to see your photos rotate between your friends, parents, pets… you get the idea. You can also see your favorite pictures sway in the breeze or gently float across your screen using one of the new screensaver photo frames.

  • A GIF showing a Chromebook screen going from Light theme to Dark theme. The pink background shifts to a darker red, and the shelf also becomes darker.

    We’re introducing light and dark themes. The “light” theme keeps things bright and airy, while “dark” makes for easy reading at night or in low light, and can help conserve power. You can choose to keep your laptop on one theme all the time, or choose “auto” to have your Chromebook automatically transition from light to dark when day turns to night. Bonus: some new wallpapers are made for both themes, so your wallpaper will subtly shift from light to dark, too.

  • The GIF starts with several windows open in a desk titled “Research Project”. The user taps on “save for later” and the desk contents condense, and several saved desks show on the screen.

    You might already use virtual desks to keep all your related apps and windows grouped and organized when you’re focusing on a specific project, like one desk for a research project and another for planning a vacation (as you can see, I think a lot about vacations). Soon you’ll be able to save and close an entire desk, including all windows and apps — perfect for when it’s time to shift gears and focus on emailing friends or family. When you’re ready to get back to it, you can open your saved windows and tabs with a tap. And once your project is done (and who doesn’t love that feeling?), you can also close all open windows at once.

  • The new monthly calendar view is open on the right side of the screen.

    Last but not least, tap on the date on your Chromebook shelf and a monthly calendar will now pop up on the side of your screen. Select any date to see your Google Calendar events in more detail and check your availability at a glance – no need to open another app or browser tab. Notifications are also getting an upgrade. Notifications from the same sender will be grouped together, plus larger buttons make it easier to join a meeting or respond to a message, right from the notification.

We’re keeping busy through the rest of the summer making Chromebook even more useful and powerful. We’ll be back to share more updates soon.