Google Extends Chromebook Support to Ten Years

Posted: 2023-09-15
By: dwirch
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Google has decided to boost the update support for Chromebooks from eight years to a full decade. Starting next year, Chromebooks launched since 2021 will enjoy 10 years of updates from their release date. This refresh of the Auto Update Expiration (AUE) policy surpasses the longevity commitments of other operating systems today. For older Chromebook models released before 2021, users and IT administrators will have the choice to prolong automatic updates to this 10-year span once their last scheduled update arrives.

Furthermore, Google is integrating adaptive charging to ChromeOS. This feature ensures Chromebooks maintain an 80% charge to promote battery longevity. They will then charge completely right before users typically unplug their devices for daily use. This option can be found and toggled in the Settings > Device > Power menu. Admins have the capability to activate it as a default setting on supervised devices. Google also plans to provide the option for immediate full charging, a function seen in Android and comparable operating systems.

Another noteworthy feature is the "Charge limit" which adjusts the maximum battery capacity over time to further preserve battery lifespan.

Moreover, an "Energy saver" mode is being incorporated. It optimizes battery usage by dialing down or shutting off high-consumption processes. This mode can be activated manually, but will also kick in automatically when the battery reaches a critical 20% level. Users will receive notifications offering the option to deactivate the energy saver. The Chrome browser has already integrated a similar feature.

Both the adaptive charging and Energy saver functions will be rolled out to ChromeOS in the near future and will be compatible with most platforms.

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