Google is pushing the ChromeOS 117 update, which introduces major upgrades, including a new look, some useful battery charging controls, accent color accessibility settings, and more. The new version adopts Google's "Material You" design concept, which is the new look launched on Android 12 in 2021.
The change is most prominent in the newly designed Quick Settings view, where rectangular buttons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other settings are easier to select (and read) than the small circle icons of before.
Updated ChromeOS devices will also get a new notification panel on the lower right side of the screen, giving you easier access to alerts for new messages, emails, and other apps. The calendar has also been upgraded with a "Next" view that makes it easy to jump to a video call. In addition, a new privacy indicator is added to the status area in the lower right corner of the screen to show camera and microphone usage.
The new software also allows users to find a Chromebook's (or other ChromeOS device's) specs, such as CPU and RAM, with a simple search in the launcher. Previously, finding memory and other information required complex steps that required the help of third-party applications like Cog.
To help extend battery life, ChromeOS now offers adaptive charging that maintains power at 80% and uses machine learning to predict when users remove the battery so it can charge to 100% before removing the battery. (Go to "Settings" > "Devices" > "Power" > "Adaptive Charging" to use this function).
Finally, Google has also added new accent colors so that users with color vision impairment can better navigate the interface. The feature can be found under "Display & Magnification" in ChromeOS accessibility settings.