Google Chrome Blog: 2014

Chromecast, now with guest mode

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Chromecast appchromecast.com/guestmode

Now casting: Comedy Central, Nick and Sesame Street Go

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Comedy CentralSesame Street GoNickelodeonTuneInEPIXYuppTVENCORE Play

Bookmarks get a new look and learn a few new tricks

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Chrome BetaChrome Menu > Bookmarks > Bookmarks Manager.

signed in to Chrome

Improved search: Quickly find that elusive page with search powered by Google, which looks not only at the bookmark title and snippet, but also the bookmarked page’s content.

Collect bookmarks by topic: Your bookmarks will automatically be organized by topic, like “Tokyo” and “Photography.” If you’d rather, you can still organize them into folders yourself.

Familiar bookmarks, new look: Your existing bookmarks will automatically get updated with images and descriptions, wherever possible.

Share: Have a folder of favorite bookmarks? You can make it public and share the link with whomever you’d like to access it.

Access your bookmarks anywhere: Bookmarked an article on your phone to finish reading on your laptop? Chrome will continue to sync your bookmarks across all of your devices, just like it does today.

here

Walk in the footsteps of heroes in “A Journey Through Middle-earth”

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five ArmiesstartsLord of the Rings Hobbitpeer-to-peer battle gameWebGL

goo.gl/TheHobbitChrome ExperimentA Journey through Middle-earthtechnical case study

Introducing fun family games for Chromecast

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

ChromecastFamily-friendly games for ChromecastWheel of FortuneHasbro’sMonopoly DashScrabble BlitzConnect Four QuadsSimon SwipeJust Dance NowBig Web Quiz Emoji PartyGoogle Knowledge GraphMore movies and shows with Showtime Anytime and Starz
Showtime AnytimeHomelandThe AffairStarz PlayOutlander
Easily explore and discover new things to cast
Chromecast

Translate web pages more easily with the new Google Translate Chrome Extension

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

[Cross-posted on the Google Translate blog]

Chrome Web Store

A simpler, faster way to use Hangouts on your desktop

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Hangouts Chrome App

Keep the conversation going, without taking over your desktop. More app, less Chrome.Voice calling from your desktop. Hangouts dialerHangouts Chrome AppHangouts Chrome extensionHangouts Help Center

Turn your TV screen into a beautiful backdrop

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Your favorite photo albums from Google+

Amazing artwork from galleries and museums around the world via the Google Cultural Institute

News and lifestyle images from The New York Times, The Guardian, Saveur and more (U.S. only)

Satellite imagery of some of the hardest-to-reach places on Earth from Google Maps

and even more beautiful photos from the Google+ community

chromecast.com/backdrop

Now casting: WATCH Disney Channel, Twitch, iHeart Radio and DramaFever for Chromecast

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

WATCH DisneyWATCH Disney JuniorWATCH Disney XDGirl Meets World, Doc McStuffins,Star Wars RebelsiHeartRadioTwitchDramaFeverWATCH ABCNPR Onechromecast.com/apps

Posted by Jennifer Wasson, Chromecast partnerships

First set of Android apps coming to a Chromebook near you

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Duolingo - a fun and free way to learn a new language before your next trip

Evernote - write, collect and find what matters to you, with a full-size keyboard and touchscreen

Sight Words - a delightful way for you to help improve your child's reading skills

Vine - create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way

announced earlier this summer at Google I/Otell us which of your favorite Android apps

This time it's personal

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Anyone who’s argued over the TV remote knows that sharing a living room doesn’t mean you want to share everything else. The same is true on the web. So in the latest Chrome beta, we're exploring a new way for you to share your computer without sharing your business.

Get started by clicking on “You” in the upper right corner of your Chrome window and then clicking “Sign in to Chrome.” You’ll be able to switch devices and pick up where you left off with all of your tabs, bookmarks, and history automatically kept in sync. If you share a computer, click "Switch person" to add your profile and get your own bookmarks, apps, and theme. Switching lets you keep your stuff separate.

With the new “Guest mode,” you can let others use Chrome without letting them see your stuff. And after they’ve closed out their tabs, their browsing information is deleted from your computer as well. To enable Guest mode, click on You (or your name if you’ve signed in) > Switch person > Browse as Guest.

Here's to no more login tango or making friends open incognito tabs. Happy (shared) browsing!
Posted by Roger Tawa, your personal Chrome Engineer

That’s not the download you’re looking for...

Thursday, August 14, 2014

[Cross-posted on the Google Online Security Blog]Safe Browsing

As always, be careful and make sure you trust the source when downloading software. Check out these tips to learn how you can stay safe on the web.

Posted by Moheeb Abu Rajab, Staff Engineer, Google Security

A new type of Chromebook with extra-long battery life

Monday, August 11, 2014

Fly from New York to Beijing

Watch the entire set of Harry Potter movies

Complete an Iron Man triathlon (average finish time is 12hr 13min)

Finish a 1-credit college course

Watch 390 adorable cat videos (2 min per video)

Use your Chromebook 13 to watch, play and get a lot done

Amazon

Space, Chrome and the amazing journey of the ISEE-3

Friday, August 8, 2014

The ISEE-3: Reboot ProjectChrome ExperimentA Spacecraft for AllWebGL graphics Explore the journeylive

Simplified sign-in with Chrome for Android

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Chrome beta for Android > Settings > Sign in to Chrome

For the eagle-eyed out there, you might also notice that this version of Chrome is starting to sport some of the elements of Material Design, Android's latest design look and feel, as well:

Posted by Travis McCoy, Product Manager and Password Fumbler

Happy 1st Birthday, Chromecast!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Chromecasthundreds of your favorite appsmirroring your Android device20 countries

To celebrate Chromecast’s birthday, Google Play Music is offering All Access subscriptions free for 90 days to anyone with a Chromecast (and who isn’t already an All Access subscriber). This offer will be available in the U.S. starting today, July 24, 2014 through September 30, 2014. If you already have a Chromecast, go to chromecast.com/offers to redeem this offer. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Whether you’re a Chromecast old-timer or just getting started, here are five fun ways to get more out of your TV experience:

Jam out to a summertime playlist

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or cleaning up around the house, enjoy your favorite summer hits from Google Play Music, Songza or Pandora on your TV.

Watch a video playlist from YouTube

Create a video playlist from the YouTube app and cast it to the TV. Friends can add videos to the queue, so you’ll always have another one on deck.

Cast your photos to the big screen

No more figuring out old-fashioned projectors or huddling around the phone. Cast your photos from your Android phone or tablet so everyone can enjoy those beautiful pics from your camping trip in Yosemite or your sister’s wedding in Hawaii.

Enjoy action-packed live sports in your living room

Tune in to live sports with MLB.TV Premium and MLS Live on Chromecast. And come fall, you can invite your buddies over, pass around the popcorn bowl, and watch college football or NFL’s Monday Night Football with the WatchESPN app on the living room TV.

Work up a sweat

With apps like Daily Burn on the rise, it’s easier than ever to work out at home. But can you really do downward-facing dog while holding your tablet? Cast your workout so you can truly get a good morning sweat session in.

We’re not done yet. In the coming months, we’ll be making more updates, like the ability to allow others to cast to your TV without needing to be on the same WiFi network, and a customizable homescreen with personal photos or beautiful art. Your Chromecast will be automatically updated with these new features once they’re available.

Happy birthday, Chromecast. Here’s to another great year ahead!

Posted by Mario Queiroz, proud papa of Chromecast

Mirror Your Android Screen to the TV with Chromecast

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Now, anything on your Android device will appear on the TV. You can share photos stored on your phone with a group of friends, or scope out the scenery for your next family vacation together on the big screen using Google Earth.

This feature is currently in beta and will roll out on popular Android phones or tablets from Samsung, HTC, LG, and others over the next few days. Look out for the 1.7 update of the Chromecast app on Google Play store to use this new feature.

Posted by Ambarish Kenghe, Chromecast Product Manager and Cast Master

Kick, dribble, shoot: Introducing Kick with Chrome, a new Chrome Experiment

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Kick with Chrome

In Kick with Chrome, you can play three different games: Infinite Dribble, Space Kick, and Shootout. In Infinite Dribble, tilt your phone or tablet to dodge defenders and roadblocks. Kick the ball high in the sky in Space Kick. Or kick and block penalty shots in the best-of-three game Shootout.

Thanks to the latest mobile web platform technologies, your phone or tablet is always your game controller in Kick with Chrome, and you can play with or without your desktop computer. Web technologies like WebRTC DataChannel and WebSockets enable the real-time mobile-to-desktop connection, and the HTML5 Fullscreen, Accelerometer and Vibration APIs create the rich mobile web experience. Just open Chrome on your Mac or Windows laptop, Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad and kick things off.

Posted by Julia Harter, Product Marketing Manager and #persieing expert

Gooooooaal!: Chromecast scores WatchESPN, Major League Soccer and Google+ Photos

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Soccer, fútbol, football, jogo bonitoWatchESPN apppremium servicesgame-day anthem Even if you're not a sports fan, there are new apps for you to enjoy. Starting today, you can transform your TV into a photo album and cast Google+ photos and videos. Just look for the cast button in the Photos view of Google+ for Android and iOS.CrunchyrollPremium SubscribersChromecast.com/apps

Chromebooks are coming to nine more nations

Monday, June 2, 2014

shapes, colors and sizes

Chromecast goes on a world tour: Now casting in Asia, Australia and more European countries

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

gourmet cooksinternational beauty gurusK-Pop superstars

Australia: Aussies will be casting the latest antics from Rake available on Google Play.

Belgium: In Belgium, comedy fans will be able to cast YouTube star Za Ka’s latest sketches.

Japan: Japanese will be able to cast Golden Bomber’s rock pop hit. They’ll also be able to catch up on the latest movies and dramas using the d-Video app by NTT docomo.

Korea: Koreans will be casting Cocomong, a super popular animation among kids. They’ll also be able to watch TV shows and movies from Tving and Hoppin.

Portugal: Portuguese will be making homemade ice creams and chocolates after casting Sabor Intenso’s YouTube recipe tutorials.

Switzerland: Swiss music fans will be using the best speakers in the house to listen to local star Bastian Baker.

online

Protecting Chrome users from malicious extensions

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Safe Browsing“reset browser settings” buttoncause our users headachespreviously announcedChrome Web Storeinstalls via Enterprise policyinline installssubmit it

Bringing the Rubik's Cube to the next generation of problem solvers

Monday, May 19, 2014

[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog]

In 1974, the world gave us one such piece of perfect design—the Rubik's Cube. Budapest-based educator and inventor Ernő Rubik created the puzzle originally to help his students better understand spatial geometry. Released to the public in the 1980s, it quickly became an international obsession, bigger than hairspray and breakdancing combined. But the Rubik’s Cube is more than just a toy; it’s a puzzle waiting to be solved and a question waiting to be answered. Over the past 40 years, the cube has puzzled, frustrated, and fascinated so many of us, and has helped spark an interest in math and problem solving in millions of kids. That’s part of why so many of us at Google love the cube, and why we're so excited to celebrate its 40th birthday this year.

As everyone knows (right??), there are 519 quintillion permutations for the Rubik’s cube, so May 19 seemed like a fine day to celebrate its 40th anniversary. To kick things off, we’re using some of our favorite web technologies (HTML5 and Three.js among others) to bring the cube to the world in the form of one of our most technically ambitious doodles yet. You can twist and turn it by dragging along its sides, but with full respect to all the speedcubers out there, we’ve included keyboard shortcuts:

Using the same technology that’s behind the doodle, we built Chrome Cube Lab, a series of Chrome Experiments by designers and technologists that reinterpret Rubik’s puzzle with the full power of the web. Create your own music with experiments 808Cube and SynthCube; make a custom, shareable cube of your own photos and GIFs with ImageCube; or send a scrambly message with the Type Cube. And, if you would like to explore the cube even further, consider borrowing the cube’s source code to build an experiment of your own.
We hope you enjoy getting to know the cube from a few new angles.
Posted by Richard The, Designer and a child of the ‘80s, Creative Lab New York

Speak to learn with Spell Up, our latest Chrome Experiment

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Google Translatepossible to speak to our phones, tablets and computersSpell Up computerphones and tabletscheck it out

New Chromebooks: in more shapes, sizes and colors

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Posted by Bill Brougher, Director, Chrome OS Partner Engineering

Plaaaaay ball! Now casting live with MLB.TV

Thursday, April 17, 2014

ChromecastMLB.TV Premium MLB.com At BatChromecast.com/apps

Chrome Remote Desktop goes mobile

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android

If you haven’t used Chrome Remote Desktop in the past, you can get started by enabling your Windows or Mac machine for remote access through the Chrome Web Store app. Next, simply launch the Android app on your phone or tablet, tap on the computer’s name and start using your remote machine as if you were sitting right in front of it.

Download the Android app from the Play Store, and stay tuned for the iOS app later this year.

Posted by Husain Bengali, Remotely Controlled Product Manager

A faster, mobile(r) web with Emoji

Monday, March 31, 2014

Google TranslateChrome for Android and iOS
As more of our web browsing moves to phones and tablets, it’s become clear that the written language on small screens can’t keep up with our ravenous hunger for information. We’re forced to scroll, swipe and pinch our way through screenfuls of words each and every day. At first we thought we could help solve this problem by improving global finger strength and minimizing extremity fatigue on the mobile web, but that only resulted in incremental improvements in browsing efficiency. We knew we needed a 10x solution for a 10x problem.

One evening, exhausted from our research, the solution appeared to us in multi-colored pixelated glory from our smartphones…

Suddenly we realized that we could apply the magic of Emoji to webpages. Not only does this pictorial and theatrical language allow us to communicate complex emotions, it’s also far more compact. One Emoji symbol can easily replace dozens of characters, improving efficiency and comprehension on the go. It turns out the best way to communicate in the future is to look to the past: the ancient Egyptians were really onto something with their hieroglyphs. To view webpages in Emoji today on your Android and iOS devices, make sure you have the latest version of Chrome for Mobile from the Play Store or App Store. Then simply tap on the menu icon and select the “Translate to Emoji” option. Tap “Reload” to view the original page. This feature is currently only available in English.

By bringing emojis to the web, we hope to improve the efficiency of all communications and make it easier for you to get more out of the web on your phone and tablet.

Update April 2: April Fools! Unfortunately, it turns out crying cats don’t help everyone read legal documents faster on the web. We’ll keep searching for a solution before next April 1 though!

Posted by Josh Estelle, Software Engineer and Modern Scribe ;)

Chrome Experiments, now featuring Chromecast

Monday, March 24, 2014

Google Cast SDKPhotowall for ChromecastChrome Experiment shareGoogle Developers Live Hangout

Chromecast: now casting in 11 more countries

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Superheroescliff diversfearless reporterspop iconsChromecastwe’ve grown to include moreChromecast to developerschromecast.com/appsChromecast

Hands-free Google Voice Search in Chrome

Thursday, February 27, 2014

If you've ever tried to cook and search at the same time—say, when your hands are covered in flour and you need to know how many ounces are in a cup—you know it can be tricky. With the latest Chrome Beta, you can search by voice on Google—no typing, clicking or hand-washing required. Simply open a new tab or visit Google.com in Chrome, say "Ok Google," and then start speaking your search. This will be rolled out to English (U.S.) users on Windows, Mac and Linux over the next few days, with support for additional languages and Chrome OS coming soon. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Perform searches: Say “Ok Google, how many ounces are in a cup?”

Set a timer: Say “Ok Google, set a timer for 30 minutes”

Create a reminder for Google Now: Say “Ok Google, remind me to pick up dessert at 6pm tonight”

To enable this feature, visit Google.com, click on the mic icon, then click on “Enable Ok Google:"

Here’s what it looks like in action:

To learn more about Voice Search in Chrome, please visit the Help Center.

Import supervised users onto new computers

The latest Chrome beta also makes it easy for you to set up Chrome supervised users on multiple devices. Supervised users makes it easy to help your family members explore the web in a managed environment. You can determine sites you want to allow or block, and manage permissions for any sites your family member has requested to view. If you create a supervised user, now you can let that user browse on any device in your home with the new “Import” option. When you import a supervised user, all their permissions will then be synced across devices.

Here’s how to do it:

Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar and select Settings.

In the "Users" section, click Add new user.

Click “Import an existing supervised user”

Select the user you’d like to import from the list

Click “Import supervised user”

This improvement to supervised users is currently supported on Windows, Mac and Linux, and will become available on Chromebooks soon. Ji Adam Dou, Software Engineer and Search Whisperer

Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings

Thursday, February 6, 2014

[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog] Chromebox for meetings

Instant meeting room. Chromebox for meetings comes with a blazing-fast Intel Core i7-based Chromebox, a high-definition camera, a combined microphone and speaker unit and a remote control. Set up your entire room in minutes and easily manage all meeting rooms from a web-based management console. All you need is the display in your room, and you’re good to go.

Simpler and faster meetings. Walk into the room, click the remote once and you’re instantly in the meeting. No more complex dial-in codes, passcodes or leader PINs. Share your laptop screen wirelessly, no need for any cords and adaptors. Integration with Google Apps makes it easy to invite others and add rooms to video meetings, directly from Google Calendar.

Meetings with anyone, anywhere. Up to 15 participants can join the video meeting from other conference rooms, their laptops, tablets or smartphones. Need to meet with a customer who doesn’t use Chromebox for meetings? That’s easy too—all they need is a Gmail account. You can also connect to rooms that have traditional video conferencing systems using a new tool from Vidyo, and participants who prefer phones can join your meeting with a conference call number from UberConference.

told usChromebox for meetings

Chromecast is now open to developers

Monday, February 3, 2014

ChromecastGoogle Cast Software Development Kit (SDK)movies, TV shows and music

If you’re a developer looking to bring your content to the big screen, head on over to the Google Developers Blog for a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of it all. Meanwhile, for everyone else, a current list of apps that work with Chromecast can be found at chromecast.com/apps. Happy casting!
Posted by Ambarish Kenghe, Chromecast Product Manager and Cast Master

Get notifications from Google Now in Chrome

Monday, February 3, 2014

Google Nowsign in to Chrome

Help Centerhead over hereUpdate 3/24/2014:Starting today and rolling out over the next few weeks, Google Now users in all languages will be able to get these notifications in all channels of Chrome. To enable this feature, simply sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account you’re using for Google Now on Android or iOS.

Clean up your hijacked settings

Friday, January 31, 2014

You're not the only one“reset browser settings” buttonnumber one user complaint

help forum

Chrome + LEGO: You can build whatever you like

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

®Build with Chromeoriginally built by a team in Australiawacky Google+ accountTHE LEGO® MOVIE™ Chrome for Android support for WebGLbig fans of LEGOGoogle+

More web, more savings with Chrome for Mobile

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Data compression for Android and iOS
In the U.S. alone, more than a fifth of adult smartphone users now do most of their online browsing on their mobile device.1 Around the world, we’re seeing a similar trend towards more mobile browsing. That’s why we’ll be rolling out a new feature on Chrome for Mobile to help you reduce data usage and save money on your mobile plan. When enabled, Chrome’s data compression and bandwidth management can reduce data usage by up to 50% while browsing the web on Chrome for Android and iOS. This feature also enables Chrome’s Safe Browsing technology which helps protect you from malicious webpages.
To start saving data and turn on an even more secure browsing experience, visit “Settings” > “Bandwidth management” > “Reduce data usage.” Then simply turn the toggle to “On.” From this menu, you’ll also be able to track how much bandwidth you save each month as you browse on Chrome.

Translate for iOS
Parlez-vous français? Not to worry. We heard your requests and will be introducing Google Translate in Chrome for iOS in the coming days. With this update, you can now translate webpages in Chrome with the click of a button on your iPhone and iPad, just as you’re used to on Chrome for desktop and Android. To translate a page into your phone or tablet’s native language, just look for the translation bar and select “Translate.”

Application shortcuts on Android

Lastly, this upcoming release of Chrome for Android will allow you to create shortcuts to your favorite websites right from your homescreen for faster and easier access to the web. When visiting a site you’d like to save, simply select “Add to homescreen” from the toolbar menu.

Then anytime you’d like to open the saved website, just tap its icon on your homescreen. For certain websites, the shortcut will open in a full-screen experience and appear as a separate app in the Android app switcher.

To try out these features on your Android and iOS devices, download the latest releases of Chrome for Mobile coming soon to the Play Store and App Store. These updates will be rolling out over the next few days.
Posted by Matt Welsh, Software Engineer & Data Squasher Extraordinaire

1Source: Pew Internet Cell Internet Use 2013 report.

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