ChromeOS could soon add an extra layer of security to your Google account

ChromeOS is a great middle ground between the multitasking capabilities of Windows and the simplicity of Android, all without compromising the limited hardware capabilities of your great Chromebook. Google keeps it alive with regular updates, often revealing new features in development, locked behind experimental system-level flags. Some new flags Google is working on adding to security and privacy features on ChromeOS, along with minor tweaks to the user interface (UI) design of Settings and browser components launch the application.

An option to hide your username and profile picture on the lock screen is active

Android doesn’t display any personally identifiable information on the lock screen, and Windows 11 gives you the option to hide emails associated with your user account. However, ChromeOS does not offer such features. Learn about the new experimental flags in the latest Canary OS build, @cr_c2cv on X (formerly Twitter) stumbled upon an app that allows you to hide your username and profile picture from the ChromeOS lock screen (via 9to5Google).

Some users will appreciate this convenience along with existing support for using a short PIN instead of your full Gmail password to unlock the computer. Since your lock screen is visible to anyone, even those without the correct PIN or password, it makes sense to hide confidential information like usernames and profile pictures. Additionally, Google is working on a new toggle to determine whether your Chromebook automatically unlocks after entering your PIN. This option is said to be under Setting → Lock screen and login.

Application management settings have changed

Another small change in the Settings app splits options into Manage Google Play preferences separate from Manage your apps select. As 9to5Google points out, the option to delete Google Play Store in Play preferences now clearly states that your Android apps will be disabled if you delete the Play Store. Previously, this menu only mentioned app market removal.

Another change comes to the ChromeOS launcher, which Google now calls the Everything launcher, disguised as the following flag.

Enabling this flag adds a section for custom search results to the app launcher, similar to Android phones. The new UI has a Settings icon (slider) on the right side, which can be used to exclude results from certain apps like the Customize Shortcuts app or the Explore app.

Look for a redesigned launcher with interactive cards and settings button

This section also shows interactive cards from the Diagnostics app. One of them shows CPU usage, followed by the temperature of the hardware and the current clock speed. Google is also reworking the way installed apps are displayed in the launcher – just like on the Pixel Launcher, the ChromeOS launcher will now show you an app icon that says “Installing…” write below for apps that are still being downloaded from the Play Store.

The app will show up in the launcher when downloaded

There’s no specific timeline for these changes to make it to the stable version of ChromeOS, but we expect it will only take a few months since these changes were discovered in the Canary build. That said, Google can always remove features or choose to release them later, so that users don’t suddenly find the operating system unfamiliar.