Category: Chrome 64

New Beta Version of Chrome OS Now Available

January 19, 2018 Chrome 64, Chrome OS, Chromebook, Chromium No Comments
Chrome OS Build 61 App Launcher

Following on the release of a new Dev channel build for Chrome OS, there is now a new Beta channel build too.  Build 64.0.3282.101 (Platform version: 10176.54.0) has been released for most devices and can be downloaded now, if you are in the beta channel, by typing chrome://help  in the omnibar in the browser.

The update has a laundry list of fixes and improvements that you can read here if you are so inclined.  Ultimately there are a lot of general improvements to the platform.

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Chrome 64 Beta Brings Improved View of Changed Flags

January 3, 2018 Android, Chrome 64, Chrome for Android No Comments
Chrome 64 Flags Page

Chrome 64, the next major release of the Chrome browser for Android and other devices, is currently in beta and likely will be for another month or so.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t get a glimpse at what will be in the release.  When it comes to the Android build at least, we can expect to see a much improved Flags page.

For those who aren’t familiar, flags allow you to change granular elements of how Chrome functions on your phone.  You get to this page by typing chrome://flags in the omnibar and you can enable or disable specific features. Be warned however that they are experimental in many cases and can cause instability.  In Chrome 63, the Flags page got a bit of a makeover that made it much easier to read.  In 64, Google is going a step further.

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Chrome 64 Beta for Chromebooks Allows Android Apps to Run Continuously in the Background

December 28, 2017 Android, Chrome 64, Chrome OS, Chromebook No Comments
Chrome OS Build 61 App Launcher

If you are a Chromebook users that uses Android apps, Chrome 64 is likely going to bring you some very good news.  The beta of that train is out and in it, Android apps continue to run when they are in the background.  Currently the apps will pause (with a few exceptions) when they are no longer the focus app on your Chromebook.  That is, if you move from one app to another or from an app to a web-based app in Chrome, the app will pause.

Chrome 64 addresses this primarily through an update to the Android Framework running in Chrome OS.  Way back in March, I posted that this framework would be upgraded from Android Marshmallow to Android Nougat.  It was in Chrome 61 but it didn’t work well as apps continued to pause in the background.  With Chrome 64, the framework is updated to Android Oreo and, based on early beta testing, is able to handle multiple Android apps running at the same time without pausing them when they are not the primary focus app.

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