The latest Google Chromebook update adds a feature to let you know if your USB-C cable has limited functionality, the company announced on Friday. USB-C cables can have very different capabilities, offering things like different charging speeds and cable-to-cable data transfer, so this new Chromebook feature seems like a useful tool to help you solve problems.
“Eligible Chromebooks will notify you if the USB-C cable you’re using doesn’t support displays or doesn’t work ideally for your laptop,” Google says in a blog post. “You’ll also be notified if the cable you’re using doesn’t support the USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 high-performance standards of your Chromebook.” The new feature first comes to Chromebooks with 11th or 12th generation Intel Core CPUs that support USB4 or Thunderbolt, according to the blog, “with more devices to come.”
Here’s what one of the notifications looks like. Image: Google
Google is well aware of some of the challenges of USB-C cables, with employee Benson Leung making waves with his testing and reviews of USB-C cables, including one that destroyed his Chromebook Pixel. The situation has improved since then, but it can still be difficult to know exactly which USB-C cable does what, so this new notification from Google is a welcome addition to your Chromebooks, and not surprisingly, we have Benson and the rest of the team. to thank you.
The new update also includes some more features. Google is updating the split screen magnifier feature so you can resize the enlarged part of the screen and let you choose whether you want to see more or less the enlarged area. Here’s a Google GIF showing how it works:
The company is also launching its handwriting application in all Chromebooks that support stylus.
Updated May 27, 15:00 ET: A tweet from Benson Leung has been added.