Chrome OS Instant Tethering now Enabled by Default, Likely Launching Soon

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Instant tethering is a Google Pixel, Nexus and Chromebook unique feature which allows you to connect to the internet through your phone’s data connection simply by being logged into the same Google account. A hotspot will automatically be created and the device that does not have a data connection will connect to it. This is an extremely convenient feature for those who use it, but until now it had to be enabled via a hidden flag, and it was a work in progress. Many reported it not working, and so it makes sense that it wasn’t added to Chrome OS just yet. If you wanted to enable the feature, you had to delve into the settings of your Chromebook and find it.

Now according to the Chromium Gerrit, this flag will be enabled by default. If the feature is fixed, this a good thing and will allow users to easier tether their devices and share their network connections across their own devices, without risking other, unwanted people connecting. Protecting users is the ultimate goal with this, and it also is convenient which kills two birds with one stone.

This comes after another simple quality of life improvement made by Google and added to Chrome OS. Only recently were Android-like screenshots added to Chrome OS, a much needed addition considering it was nearly impossible to take screenshots in tablet mode before. It seems Google are showing a much greater dedication to their alternative desktop and laptop OS. The user experience has always been important to Google, and migrating features from Android and improving existing features has been their priority for the last few months it seems.

All going well, we should see this released in the Dev channel of Chrome OS, followed by the stable release which will come in the next few months.