You can now unlock your Chromebook with your Android

By Killian Bell

Remembering login passwords is (almost) a thing of the past when you combine your Chomebook with an Android. Thanks to Google’s handy Smart Lock feature, you can now unlock your notebook simply by placing your smartphone nearby.

Smart Lock comes baked into Google’s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop software, and automatically disables lock screen security on your smartphone when a connected Android Wear watch is close by. And now it works in much the same way on your Chromebook.

However, instead of syncing your notebook with a smartwatch, you simply connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Once there is a link between the two, you will be signed into your Chromebook automatically when both devices are within 100 feet of each other.

It’s a small feature, but an incredibly useful one. You will no longer have to type in a password when you sit down at your desk; simply unlock your Android device (it must have a screen lock and be unlocked), and your machine is ready to go.

For instructions on setting up Smart Lock, check out Google’s support page via the link below.