Chrome OS gets an AI update with more features for Chromebook Plus

I’ve been an avid user of Chrome OS since I got my hands on the launch device, a CR48, back in 2011. Building on features over the years to become more than ‘just a browser’ on a laptop, Google is injecting their AI nouse into Chromebooks.

Rolling out as a part of update 130 for Chrome OS, Google has announced they are bringing a bunch of features to Chromebooks, as well as some exclusive features for Google’s Chromebook Plus category of devices. 

The new features for Chrombook Plus include Help Me Read, which uses Gemini to summarise documents and webpages. You can also find Google AI acting with applications on your Chromebook, including the ability to offer Live Translations across apps and browsers.

One of my favourite Pixel apps – Recorder – is also making its way to Chromebooks. This app has fantastic transcription and recording functions, and makes taking minutes or doing interviews a breeze. 

Google has also introduced face retouching for your Chromebook webcam, as well as Studio-style mic effect to enhance your audio. 

And for all Chromebooks, Google has also announced new features including Gemini which is now available pinned to the shelf in your Chromebook. Gemini of course is Google’s AI assistant and will help you do a load of stuff including planning trips, generating pictures, or even going down a rabbit hole to learn about new things. 

Google is also launching ‘Recap’ a feature that pops up when you login to your Chromebook, giving you a visual overview of where you were at on your devices – including your phone if you’ve paired it. 

Recap includes a bunch of prompts from webpages you were reading, upcoming meeting reminders or files you were working on. 

For anyone who has trouble staying on track, the new Focus mode will go to “Do not disturb” for a set period of time. 

Lastly, if you’re a Google Drive user, finding files is getting easier. You can pin files to your Chromebook shelf, and you can now find recent document suggestions in your App Launcher and Tote. 

Chromebook Plus

So what is a Chromebook Plus? Well, Google launched Chromebook Plus last year in an attempt to push the Chrome OS platform with a more premium line of devices – or as Google describes it:

Chromebook Plus laptops are designed to offer more processing power, memory, and storage than other Chromebooks. They also come with software and AI capabilities to help with advanced workloads.

Essentially it’s a premium range of Chromebooks – and from someone who’s owned the Pixelbook, Pixel Slate and other premium Chromebooks, it can be a pretty good experience – though hampered by lack of hardware – which this update fixes. 

The Chrome OS 130 update is available through the Beta channel for all Chromebooks, bringing the above features – but of course only the Chromebook Plus get those additional features – at least for now.

Google has sent over the ASUS Chromebook CX34 to check out these new features – and have a play with the new update on a Chromebook Plus.

Gemini

This one is actually available to all Chromebook users – but I was keen to try out Gemini on a Chromebook as part of the update. As part of the rollout, Google is offering a 3-month trial for Gemini Advanced on new Chromebooks.
The offer is open to Chromebook devices activated between October 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025 and Chromebook Plus devices activated between May 28, 2024 and January 31, 2025 by going to the Chromebook Perks page – which also has a few other bonus offers that all Chromebook owners should check out.

Gemini is available on the launcher now (though you can easily unpin it) letting you easily access the AI assistant.

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Using Gemini is still a matter of finding a use for it, though as with anything – the more you use it, the more valuable a tool it becomes. 

Gemini Advanced – their conversational model of Gemini – you can actually continue conversations, with the AI building on the conversation, adding more context as you go. Finding docs, planning a trip with Gemini, finding flights and accommodation for you, or you can just using it to generate imagery, a text message, email and more. 

Recorder

I love this app for it’s stunningly accurate AI powered transcriptions, which automatically detects and labels speakers. This makes meetings with your Chromebook an easy one to be the scribe for. 

Your voice notes and transcriptions can all be easily renamed, and if you need them, exported as files to share. 

Unfortunately what it doesn’t seem to do is sync with your Pixel Recorder uploads at recorder.google.com – which I hope they fix soon as I’d love all my recordings in one place.

For Chromebook Plus owners, you can get AI generated summaries and name creation for your recordings. You can also get a three-point summary for recordings up to 15 minutes. 

It’s hard to convey exactly how much I love this app. The AI summaries are interesting for an overview, but the companion transcripts and recordings are available to review the full thing. 

If you’ve ever needed to transcribe something, take notes or be a scribe, this is a killer app.

Recap

This one is also available to all Chromebooks: Recap. 

Recap pops up when you login, letting you quickly switch to things you’ve been doing. It’s brilliant, letting you see documents, calendar entries and conversations from tabs, or just letting you open previous browser sessions.

This is a great feature but you can turn it off if you don’t like it – but I recommend giving it a go. 

Help Me Read

I spend a lot of the day reading documents and websites. Google’s new Help Me Read will apparently help get through that. 

You can easily try it out by right mouse clicking on a page and selecting the Help Me Read context box. Once the summary is generated you can even ask questions about the article.

For my mind, the summary is good, though it depends on how much you trust these AI generated summaries and how accurate you need the information. I’m almost convinced, however I rely on context and quotes, but for getting the gist of an email or news story in my personal time it’s pretty good. 

Focus

I am easily distracted. Doug has nothing on me, so finding something that semi forces me to concentrate is pretty neat. 

The default options are basic, letting you set a timer and even some light background music. You can choose to put on your YouTube Music playlist instead, which is a much better option than the free choices available.

For me – I need a full body focus mode, something to stop me picking up my phone, or opening a new tab and casually surfing to YouTube despite the mounting work. It’s a good start, but I’d love to see you be able to set it on your Chromebook and then have it propagate out to the rest of your devices. 

Drive suggestions

I work on a lot of documents, mostly in Google Drive. The update also now updates the top of your app launcher, and Tote – the little area on your Chromebook shelf next to the calendar which shows recent screenshots, documents and more. 

You can find recently opened documents easily in both areas – though I usually jump into Drive and find the recently used docs there. The interesting feature I do like is the ability to pin a doc in your tote area, letting you quickly access those docs you use only occasionally. 

Live Translate

Google has always been into Translate, offering one of the best translation apps for mobile. Live Translate is available through Live Captions in the Accessibility settings.

Once you turn it on, you’ll need to download language packs to translate those languages. Once it’s on though, you can get instant live translations via live captions for a Streamer you’re wanting to watch but don’t speak the same language – or for a meeting with speakers in other languages. 

I’ve only used this on video streaming, watching some ASMR travel videos through Japan and getting translations from the overhead train announcers. 

Video Call updates

We’ve been seeing AI updates for webcams on laptops for some time and Google is catching up here with the introduction of video call enhancements for both audio and video – and best of all it works in any app: Zoom, Meet, Teams and more. 

The new update gives ‘studio-style’ mic features which offer crystal clear audio with reduced background noise and reverb. The video will automatically adjust lighting to make you look your best. 

This is a pretty good feature, and in tests I sounded pretty good using just the base microphone included in the Chromebook. Look good? That’s subjective, but I was certainly a little more evenly lit.

Chrome OS Update

It’s a solid release, though you’ll need a Chromebook Plus to check out all the new features – but even with your existing Chromebook there’s a lot of new features to check out.

You will find all the new features as part of the Chrome 130 release which is rolling out for Chromebooks now, although if you’re not getting it you can jump across to the Beta channel to check it out.