It's been a great day for the Chrome platform. Not only has the mobile app received an update to its search feature, but Chromebooks are also receiving a patch in the form of ChromeOS M126. It's not a major update, but it does introduce several quality of life improvements that together aim to make the system more accessible. There is no specific focus on anything in particular, as several features are being updated.
Starting from the top, the Chromebook Camera app gets Super Resolution. This gives the laptop camera the ability to zoom in on objects if they do not have a built-in optical engine. However, on certain “high-performance Chromebooks,” super resolution can visually improve the photos you capture. It is unknown exactly which models will get this.
The next visual update is the Magnifier tool, which is integrated into Select to Speak. Now, every time Select to Speak reads words aloud, Magnifier will automatically follow and enlarge the text as you go “so you never miss the point.” Google says you'll need to have both tools enabled to see the feature. Additionally, you can zoom in further by pressing Ctrl, Alt, and Brightness Up keys. If you replace the last key with Brightness Down, you will be able to zoom further.
People who are photosensitive or have cognitive differences can also rotate the blinking cursor speed for a more comfortable user experience.
The rest of the patch moves away from accessibility updates and focuses more on giving users additional tools. Quick Start, for example, is now available on Chromebooks and allows users to connect their Android smartphone to their computer as a quick way to migrate Wi-Fi and Google account login information when setting up a Chromebook for the first time. It will allow you to set up a Chromebook without entering a single password, which is pretty handy.
Parents will appreciate this next set of changes, as the company is splitting out “permissions for sites, extensions, and apps” to offer more granular parental control options. Monitored accounts must also request approval before they can install an extension.
A new system option has been added to the Settings menu to disable the swipe gesture when navigating between pages. Last but not least, Google is rolling out support for multiple calendars so you can view events from multiple sources through the Google Calendar app.
ChromeOS M126 will be rolling out in the coming days, so keep an eye out for the patch to arrive. Please note that your device may not be “eligible” right away. We've reached out to Google for clarification on what would make a Chromebook ineligible and will let you know if we hear back.
In the meantime, check out TechRadar's list of the best Chromebooks in 2024.
