Tag Archives: Chromebooks

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
10:25

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
10:25

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
10:25

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.

Your Chromebook now works better with your other devices

During CES and I/O this year, we announced a few new Android and Chromebook features designed to help your phone and laptop work better together. Soon you’ll see some of those features roll out to your Chromebooks so you can try them yourself.

Easily access your recent photos

When you’re trying to stay on task, there’s nothing more distracting than switching between your phone and your laptop to get something done. Last year, we introduced Phone Hub, a built-in control center that lets you respond to text messages, check your phone’s battery, turn on tethering and more, all from your Chromebook.

With the latest update, you’ll now also have instant access to the latest photos you took on your phone — even if you’re offline. After taking a picture on your phone, it will automatically appear within Phone Hub on your laptop under “recent photos.” Just click on the image to download it, then it’s ready to be added to a document or email.

No more sending yourself emails with pictures or going through multiple steps to get an image from your phone to your laptop. The next time you’re recapping yesterday’s hike in an email to your friends, you can easily add your best photos to the message, without ever having to pick up your phone.

A zoomed in Chromebook Phone Hub exaggerates the new section called “Recent photos”.

In Phone Hub, you can see recent pictures that were shot on your Android phone.

Coming soon: connect headphones with a tap

Bluetooth-enabled headphones help you stay connected without wires, but that can be difficult when you can’t figure out how to set them up. We’ve all been there – trying to decipher the deeper meaning of tiny blue pulsing LEDs. With Fast Pair coming later this summer, it’s easier than ever to sync headphones or other compatible accessories to your Chromebook.

Just turn on your Chromebook’s Bluetooth, and it will automatically detect when a new pair of Bluetooth headphones are on, are nearby and are ready to be set up. A pop-up notification will appear and with one tap, your new accessory is connected and ready to go. No more digging through settings or struggling to figure out the right button to press to pair your headphones. Fast Pair also saves the connection to your Google Account, so both your Chromebook or a new Android phone will remember your headphones and seamlessly connect to them in the future.

Whether you want to use new headphones to watch a video, join a virtual meeting or listen to music, Fast Pair will make it hassle-free. This feature will be compatible with hundreds of different headphone models — and counting.

An image of a Chromebook showing a notification that headphones are ready to pair. An image of Pixel Buds floats over the picture.

Fast Pair on Chromebook will work with hundreds of headphones, including Pixel Buds.

Plus, share your ideas with Screencast

In case you missed it, earlier this month we announced the new, built-in Screencast app. Screencast lets anyone record, trim, and share transcribed videos automatically uploaded to Google Drive. You can even draw or write on the screen as you record using a touchscreen or stylus to diagram or illustrate key concepts.

Screencast makes it easy for anyone to record instructional videos, software demos, presentations, and more. It will start rolling out this week, so give it a go by tapping the Everything Button and searching for the Screencast app.

Later this year, we’ll introduce even more helpful features that will make all of your devices work better together. In the meantime, we’ll be back to share more exciting Chromebook announcements this summer. Stay tuned.

Share your ideas with Chromebook

Editor’s Note: Join us for Google for Education’s product launch event, The Anywhere School 2022, to find out about the latest features to help students pursue their personal potential.

Over the last two years, many school districts have gone from sharing devices to providing one for every student. Students aren’t the only ones getting devices, either - teachers are, too. We’ve talked to a lot of teachers to see what tools they might be missing on their devices so we can design new tools to make key workflows easier, and provide students with even richer learning experiences.

We heard loud and clear that returning to the classroom this year after remote learning, many educators are now using computers not just to prep for class, but also to teach in real time. Having a lightweight convertible Chromebook with a stylus and all-day battery life allows them to step away from their desks and move freely about the classroom to engage with students. And with so many schools moving toward a 1:1 student to device ratio, students are taking their Chromebooks home in backpacks to work on homework; this gives them unprecedented access to digital tools both in school and at home. With that, video has quickly become both a critical teaching tool and a powerful way for students to show their work. So for this back to school season, we've built new ways for both students and teachers to share and record their screens for real-time collaboration in the classroom and creating instructional videos and reports.

Share your ideas with Screencast

Make video creation capabilities available to everyone in your class with the Screencast app built into Chrome OS. Educators can record, trim, transcribe and share lessons or demos to build a custom library of recordings. Students can create their own screencasts to share their ideas and what they’ve learned, or access lessons if they missed a class or need homework help. You can even draw or write on the screen using a touchscreen or stylus to diagram or illustrate key concepts. Recordings are stored on Google Drive, and can be accessed via link to the Screencast app – at school or from home. Update Chrome OS to M103 to get access.

YouTube video of Screencast on Chromebooks
10:25

Secure, wireless casting for the entire class with cast moderator

Share ideas and content wirelessly with a moderator mode for casting that lets educators control casting in their classrooms. Cast moderator lets educators and students share their screen, whether sharing a presentation, a video or a worksheet, wirelessly to a central display, using a secure access code. Educators can keep class on track by controlling when the code gets displayed and instantly turning off a disruptive cast in their classroom with the click of a remote or from the teacher’s own Chromebook. With cast moderator, all educators need is a cast sender, like a Chromebook or a desktop Chrome browser, and a supported Google TV device as a cast receiver. We’re piloting this with schools this summer, so to get notified about availability, express interest through our form.

YouTube video of cast moderator
10:25

Working with Figma to optimize for Chromebooks

Our team aims to give students access to the tools they need to build key skills and creatively express their ideas on Chromebooks. We’re working with developers like Figma, the leading browser-based collaborative design software, to optimize their products for Chromebooks and run pilots in real classrooms. Through this partnership, we hope to equip students with the visual communication, problem-solving and collaboration skills they need to thrive in a digital-first world. We’re announcing a free Figma beta for U.S. high schools using Chromebooks. Now you can deploy Figma and manage free app licenses all from Google Admin Console, making it easy to deliver to many people at once. Starting today, you canapply to participate in the Figma beta, which launches later this summer.

YouTube video of Figma partnership with Chromebooks
10:25

Find the right Chromebook for you (and your school!)

Whether you’re looking for Chromebooks for high schoolers or for educators, or for yourself, you can find recommendations onour website, along with accessories that are Works with Chromebook certified, like styluses from Logitech. You can learn how to set up a Chromebook repair program in your school, with device-specific resources from Acer and Lenovo. Or if you have old Macs and PCs sitting around, you can repurpose them with Chrome OS Flex, a new version of Chrome OS that can help extend the lifespan of your devices.

Building for the future of teaching and learning

We’re excited to see how educators are using Chromebooks to expand their teaching. Chris Preston, an honors biology teacher at Rider High School in Wichita Falls ISD, is among the teachers who rely on Chromebooks for teaching. “As a teacher, I’m always looking for ways to save time, and my Chromebook is the ultimate time saver,” Chris says. “I actively share my experiences with my Chromebook with fellow educators because Chromebooks have changed the way I work. I want others to have that same opportunity.” And now, with Screencast and cast moderator, we hope educators around the world feel the same way.

The Anywhere School 2022

Editor’s Note: Join us for Google for Education’s product launch event, The Anywhere School 2022, to find out about the latest features to help students pursue their personal potential.

Each year, my team and I speak with thousands of educators around the world to better understand how students and teachers are using technology in the classroom. We do this to help educators amplify their efforts and, most importantly, help students pursue their personal potential. Today, we’re sharing new updates to Chromebooks, Google Classroom and Google Meet to set up teachers and students for success ahead of the next school year.

Create screencasts and cast to a big screen with Chromebooks

From sharing devices to 1:1, to teachers using Chromebooks alongside students, we’re constantly evolving our features to meet the needs of the classroom. We’re adding new features like the Screencast app, built into Chrome OS in M103, where you can record, trim, share and view transcribed screencasts — and create a custom library of videos automatically saved in Google Drive. Cast moderator is a new mode coming to select devices with Google TV that enables both educators and students to wirelessly share their Chromebook screen to a class display using an access code, so that only folks in the same classroom as the display are able to cast. To get notified on availability of cast moderator hardware, express interest in this form. And for more on what’s new for Chromebooks, read our blog.

YouTube video of Screencast on Chromebooks
10:25

Adaptive learning enhancements in Google Classroom

We’re rolling out newintegrations and tools to improve teachers’ day-to-day tasks and help students grow their skills. Practice sets lean into adaptive learning by giving students instant feedback on their answers and real-time support if they get stuck — providing automated insights for teachers to identify potential gaps in students’ understanding. Practice sets are now globally available in beta, and in English only, for Google Workspace for Education customers with the Education Plus or the Teaching and Learning Editions. Sign up here to get access. With add-ons, we’re making it possible for students and teachers to access more than 15 EdTech tools, like Kahoot! and Pear Deck, all with a single login. Teachers can create engaging assignments and see new grading experiences, while students don’t have to worry about remembering extra passwords and navigating external websites. Add-ons will be available with the Education Plus or Teaching and Learning Edition. And to get ready for the new school year or semester, we’re expanding our roster import feature in Google Workspace for Education Plus to an additional 15 countries, in partnership with Elevate Data Sync, so class lists can automatically be synced with student information systems. Sign up here for the beta. For more on what’s new with Classroom, read our blog.

YouTube video of practice sets in Google Classroom
10:25

Better interconnectivity and efficiency with Google Meet

For those using the Google Workspace for Education Teaching & Learning and Plus editions, we’re adding features focused on increasing interconnectivity, control and efficiency in the classroom to Google Meet. Now, Meet calls can be auto-transcribed directly into a Google Doc for easy lesson reviews and the ability to search for keywords and concepts. Ever wished you could keep tabs on your class and present from another tab? Now you can, with Picture in Picture in Meet, where you can navigate other tabs in Chrome while viewing 4 tiles of students in a Meet call. And to keep your class engaged and regularly check for understanding, you can now add polls and Q&A to Live-streams, and live-stream directly to YouTube. For more on what’s new with Google Meet, read our blog.

Gif of picture in picture in Google Meet on Chrome OS

Building for the future of more personal learning experiences

We want to continue developing products and features that meet the needs of students and teachers today, and in the future. The magic happens when tech is put in the hands of teachers who know how to engage students, to challenge them and instill that love of learning. Education is not one size fits all — and neither is the technology that powers education.

Personalize Chrome with themes from LGBTQ+ artists

Back in high school, before I came out, seeing LGBTQ+ role models made me feel a sense of community. In particular, seeing LGBTQ+ people depicted in art and media who were thriving gave me confidence to be who I am. Artistic expression, from people like Keith Haring and Frida Kahlo, has been crucial for LGBTQ+ people throughout history for telling our stories and securing equal rights.

To celebrate the next generation of LGBTQ+ artists this Pride month, Chrome commissioned five LGBTQ+ artists to create themes you can select to personalize your Chrome browser and Chromebook. Available globally starting today with more options coming soon, these themes reflect the unique points of view of each individual artist. Here’s how some of the artists describe their work:

  • Chrome browser theme with one person in a purple shirt facing another person in a green shirt looking out into the world.

    Derek Abella: “This theme was inspired by the special feeling of finding someone who sees life in the same way. Oftentimes, people in our community feel misunderstood and grow to be observers, but we’re never totally alone in this world.”

  • Chrome browser theme with a person in pink tank top depicted having glasses with multiple eyes.

    Carlos Aponte: “All the pieces are autobiographical; I can only speak from my own experiences. This image is about a person who survived the hardships of life and still kept his spiritual integrity.”

  • Chrome browser theme with images of Greek mythological figures, including a woman drawing a bow surrounded by wolves who faces a woman resting with a sword and shield.

    Sofie Birkin: “The story goes that Britomartis leapt into fishermen's nets to escape the unwanted attention of King Minos, and Artemis rescued her from drowning and turned her into a goddess and a hunting companion. They’re two of the more unambiguously queer characters in Greek mythology.”

  • Chrome browser theme featuring a person with multi-colored hair flowing across the frame in all directions.

    Ohni Lisle: “LGBT+ people often go from hating their inability to fit in, to relishing it as a beautiful character building experience. The joy of self exploration and presentation is reflected in this theme — someone completely letting their freak flag fly.” (Note: this theme will be available on Chromebooks starting today and in Chrome browser later this month)

  • Chrome browser theme with two people wearing cowboy hats with their arms around one another looking at fireworks.

    Tallulah Fontaine: “I wanted to create a scene that reflected the place I grew up — the prairies — and the idea of finding love in unexpected places. Cowboys come up so often in my work because I grew up surrounded with so much of that imagery and country music.” (Note: this theme will be available on Chromebooks and Chrome browser later this month)

Our Chrome team crafted themes around the work of the artists to fuse them seamlessly into Chrome, coordinating the colors of your tabs and making sure the work looks great on all types of laptop and desktop screens. To get one of these themes for Chrome browser, visit the Chrome Web Store, select “Themes” and click “add to Chrome”. To set a wallpaper for your Chromebook, right click your desktop, choose “Set wallpaper”, then select “LGBTQ Artists”

This collection is a testament to the expansiveness of the LGBTQ+ community, which continues to become more vibrant and diverse. You can browse all themes in the collection on the Chrome Web Store, where you’ll also find themes from Black and Latino artists.