Chrome OS prepares a feature called ‘Phone Hub’ that links your Android device to your Chromebook. While we wait for the feature to stabilize, you can try it out now.
The idea behind Chrome OS’s ‘Phone Hub’ is similar to Microsoft’s ‘Your Phone’ app for Windows 10. You can use it to receive notifications from your phone on your Chromebook, control the Android device, and beyond. scroll through the Chrome tabs that were open on your smartphone.
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The Phone Hub will eventually be available to everyone by default, but is currently being tested. You can try it out for yourself by enabling it via a Chrome flag. You must be using Chrome OS version 89 (on any channel) to do this.
Warning: These features are not available to everyone. They may not work properly and may affect the performance of your browser. Enable flags at your own risk.
Open a browser window on your Chromebook and go to chrome://flags#enable-phone-hub
Select the drop-down menu for ‘Enable Phone Hub’ and set it to ‘Enabled’.
Click the blue “Restart” button to apply the changes.
We then connect your Android phone in the Settings menu. Click the clock on the shelf on your Chromebook’s screen to open the Quick Settings panel. Select the gear icon to access the settings.
Go to the “Connected devices” tab of the settings.
You will see “Android phone” here. Click on the “Set” button.
A new window will open with a drop-down menu listing the active Android devices associated with your Google account. Select the one you want to use and click ‘Accept and continue’.
Enter the password for your Google account and click ‘Done’.
The device should now be connected! Click on “Done” to return to the settings.
Now you can click on your phone’s name in the “Connected Devices” section.
Here are all the settings related to your connected Android device. Make sure “Phone Hub” is turned on.
You will notice that a phone icon has appeared on your Chromebook’s shelf. Click on it to open the Phone Hub.
The Phone Hub shows your last two Chrome tabs, a few switches for the connected device (including the option to turn on the hotspot, turn off your phone, or locate the handset) and Wi-Fi and battery status.
That’s all there is to it. The Phone Hub may change before it ‘officially’ launches, but it works quite well as it stands. It’s great to see Google bringing Chrome OS and Android closer together.
RELATED: Enable Google Chrome flags to test beta features
