Google Introduces ChromeOS M128 to The Stable Channel

Hello Chromebook Community,

You should soon see an update on your device for ChromeOS M128! Here’s a list of new features and changes you’ll notice when you update to this new version of Chrome.

• Snap groups on ChromeOS
  In ChromeOS 128, Snap groups allow you to group windows on ChromeOS. A snap group is formed when you pair two windows for a split-screen. You can bring the windows back together, resize them simultaneously, or move them both as a group.
  
  
  

• ChromeOS privacy control reminders on Apps settings page
  To use the cameras and microphones on ChromeOS, you need to turn on both privacy controls and app permissions in two separate places.
  We are making it easier for users to be aware of the states of the privacy controls and provide actionable reminders on the ChromeOS Apps settings page so that users have a smoother experience. To view the ChromeOS Apps settings page, click Settings >Apps > Manage your Apps, and select the desired app.
  
  
  

• Store aggregated vitals data with one-year retention
  From ChromeOS 128 onwards, we store aggregated vitals data for one-year retention to better track the progress over time. Vitals data includes Android app performance metrics, such as crash rate, and these metrics will help us improve Android app performance on ChromeOS devices.

• OCR in ChromeOS Camera App
  Optical Character Recognition (OCR) enables text extraction from images captured in the ChromeOS Camera App by integrating an ML-powered text extraction service. ChromeOS 128 supports 77 languages; it also supports both horizontal and vertical detection. This allows copying and searching text from images, speaking text from images by screen reader, and creating searchable PDFs from images. By default, text detection in Photo mode is disabled and can be enabled from Settings > Text detection in preview.
  
  
  

• Magnifier follows ChromeVox
  Magnifier following ChromeVox is designed for people who are blind or have low vision. When you read text aloud using ChromeVox, the screen magnifier now automatically follows the words, so you never lose your place. To try this out, you can enable both Magnifier and ChromeVox in your settings. Zoom in to your preferred zoom level using Ctrl + Alt + Brightness up and Ctrl + Alt + Brightness down. A setting is available under the Magnifier settings to adjust this behavior.

• Auto Gain Control enabled by default
  Auto Gain Control (AGC) allows apps, such as video calling apps, to automatically optimize microphone volume for best audio quality. When auto gain control is enabled and in-use, a message appears in the quick settings panel to inform the user that the microphone gain slider is being overridden. AGC is enabled by default in ChromeOS 128. If you want to manually control the microphone volume even for apps that support AGC, you can go to Settings > Device > Audio and deselect Allow apps to automatically adjust mic volume.
  
  
  

• APN management
  For ChromeOS cellular-enabled devices, we have made it easier to view, manage, and add Access Point Names (APNs). We’ve also improved registration failure handling and messaging.

• Pinned notifications on ChromeOS
  ChromeOS notifications help to visually separate pinned notifications from other notifications. ChromeOS 128 significantly differentiates the visual look of pinned notifications from typical notifications to reflect their significant difference - we notify the user of an ongoing process rather than an instantaneous event.

As always, please share any feedback you have by using the instructions here, and if you encounter any bugs or issues, please feel free to create a new thread on this forum!

Friendly Reminder: This update and the features associated with it, will be progressively rolling out over the coming days. Your device may not immediately be eligible for this update.

Best,
Josh - On behalf of ChromeOS