Google could make Chromebooks last years longer with a huge change to Chrome OS

One of the more tricky parts to integrating Android apps with Chrome OS has been networking. It took a while for VPNs running on Chrome OS to apply to Android apps, and even longer for the opposite to work. Thankfully, VPN support for applications running in a Linux container has now arrived.

Chromebooks are growing in popularity, thanks to their ease of use and straight to the point design. It's easy to get things done using Chrome OS, especially thanks to built-in support for Sheets and Docs, but many of us also like to enjoy some music while working. Up until now, Spotify and Google Play Music worked natively on the platform, but Apple Music users were left out. Although it was still possible to play your favorite tracks through a web browser, the app itself wasn't compatible with Chromebooks, which prevented you from using offline mode. The software was just updated on the Play Store, though, and now brings official support for Chrome OS.

While Chrome OS' offline usability has improved a lot since the platform's early days, there's no denying that an internet connection is still essential to get a lot of things done on a Chromebook. When you're away from WiFi, you can tether your phone's connection, but Google has a smarter ace up its sleeve: Instant Tethering. The feature started showing up two years ago to link two Android devices, was later one of the highlights of the Pixelbook announcement, then expanded to more Chrome OS devices. However, until now, you had to have a Pixel phone (or a Nexus) to set up Instant Tethering. Things are changing though as we've received two tips from users who have the feature on their OnePlus and Samsung devices.