ChromeOS 70.0.3524.2 is currently rolling out to users on the Dev channel. I am working my way through the changelogs to see what has changed. This list is only what I have been able to find after a few minutes of research, I will update it as I find more.

New Bugs

Chrome OS Crashes When Icons Are Clicked In Launcher

This is sort of a major bug that should have been addressed prior to release. If you click on a icon in the Application Launcher, it will immediately crash your entire Chromebook.

There is a workaround for this problem that involves searching for the application by typing it into the search bar of the application launcher and pressing enter when highlighted. This is going to be a major problem for Chrome OS tablet owners.

I have submitted a bug for this

Bug Fixes

ARC++ VPN Integration Fixes

Android VPN Integration has been broken in the past few development builds of ChromeOS (since 69.0.3464.0). In builds with this defect, it was only possible for Android Applications to take advantage of the VPN connection while the Chrome web browser and other Chrome OS applications were unable to route traffic over the VPN.

Sadly traffic in Crostini containers still do not allow you to route traffic over the VPN.

WiFi Connection Manager “Connect To New Network” Fix

In the past few releases of ChromeOS, the WiFi connection manager would fail to allow you to connect to new WiFi networks unless you specifically toggled the “Share Network with Others” toggle. This has been fixed in this release.

New Features

Web Bluetooth APIs

The new (experimental) Web Bluetooth APIs are now accessible in Chrome OS. You will need to enable them via “chrome://flags/#enable-experimental-web-platform-features” and restart for this to take effect.

Omnibox Tab Switch Suggestions

If you are like me and tend to have a few dozen tabs open on my Pixelbook, this new feature is for you. If you start typing a URL in the Chrome search box (ommibox) you will see a prompt to “Switch to Tab” if the site is already open in another tab. This should reduce the number of duplicate tabs you have open and save a few hundred gigabytes of RAM in the case of Chrome. You will need to enable this via “chrome://flags/#omnibox-tab-switch-suggestions” and restart.

New Experimental Shelf UI

I personally enjoy the ChromeOS shelf but users of Chrome OS Tablets may find it frustrating when they need to navigate via a stylus or solely via touch. You can enable a new flag via “chrome://flags/#shelf-new-ui” that will center the icons – very similar to the way Android does it.

ChromeOS Voice Dictation

If you are someone who would rather perform actions via voice rather than type, you may want to try the new experimental voice dictation mode in Chrome OS. You will need to enable a flag via chrome://flags/#enable-experimental-accessibility-features and restart before you will see the option in accessibility.

History In Global Search

You will now see a your history when you select the ChromeOS Application Launcher. This includes tabs and applications.

Full Screen Application Launcher

The Chrome OS Application Launcher has gotten a much needed overhaul to make better use of lager screens while still remaining touch friendly.

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