Skip to main content

This update could extend the life of your Chromebook by years

Google Chrome open with several tabs.
Arif Bacchus/ Digital Trends / Digital Trends

Google may be readying a change to ChromeOS that could drastically extend the life of Chromebooks, and it may be coming in just a few weeks.

The update would separate Chrome browser support from ChromeOS, which would allow it to receive its own updates faster and independently from the operating system. In other words, it would function exactly how Chrome works on a Mac or Windows laptop.

Recommended Videos

As noted by AboutChromebooks, this refashioning of ChromeOS is a project called “Lacros,” and it began development back in 2020.

The benefit is that the Chrome browser can continue to update after Chromebooks are at their end-of-life and can no longer receive system updates. Notably, Chromebooks typically have a lifespan of approximately five to six years, and some have update support of up to eight years. However, the Chrome browser will continue to receive updates, which can ultimately extend the life of a Chromebook even longer.

As per the documents uncovered by AboutChromebooks, LaCrOS seems to be a default feature on ChromeOS 116 release. Additionally, the 116 beta release has had its “Lacros support” flag removed. The beta version of the browser enabled the separation manually.

With the Lacros project being at least two years in development, it seems Google is ready to finally introduce the new Chrome browser support during its next ChromeOS 116 release, which is set to roll out around August 22.

Other feature tweaks in the update will allow the Lacros browser to open with a splash screen on ChromeOS when it is being updated. Then it will have successfully swapped out the old Chrome browser for the new Lacros browser.

Currently, Google has not confirmed any details about the association between Lacros and the 116 release.

Overall, the update likely won’t be a major change for users, but its long-term benefits could be felt years down the line.

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
Google has a great idea to fix your tab chaos in Chrome
Google Drive in Chrome on a MacBook.

If you use Google Chrome and are sick of managing an unruly mass of tabs in your web browser, help may soon be at hand. That’s because Google is testing a new feature that could bring order to your tab chaos.

As spotted by Leopeva64 on X (formerly Twitter), a new edition of Google Chrome Canary (a version of Chrome that lets users test out experimental features) contains a new tool called Organize Tabs nestled in the top-left corner of the browser.

Read more
Google Bard could soon become your new AI life coach
Google Bard on a green and black background.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have gotten a bad rep recently, but Google is apparently trying to serve up something more positive with its next project: an AI that can offer helpful life advice to people going through tough times.

If a fresh report from The New York Times is to be believed, Google has been testing its AI tech with at least 21 different assignments, including “life advice, ideas, planning instructions and tutoring tips.” The work spans both professional and personal scenarios that users might encounter.

Read more
This PowerPoint ploy could help hackers empty your bank account
A hacker typing on an Apple MacBook laptop, which shows code on its screen.

 

With various cybersecurity threats on a constant rise, it certainly feels like dangerous malware is around every corner. This time, it found its way into PowerPoint presentations disguised as helpful guides on how to protect yourself against phishing. The irony of it all is strong, but the worst part is that this malware could help attackers empty your bank account.

Read more