What you need to know
- App Streaming is now available in the release of ChromeOS 114.
- As the name suggests, this makes it possible to “stream” apps from your Android phone to your Chromebook.
- This is an extension of Phone Hub and is currently limited to a handful of Android phones.
A ChromeOS feature that first appeared all the way back in 2021 is finally available on the best Chromebooks. Buried beneath all of the other Google I/O 2023 announcements, Google also introduced App Streaming for Chromebooks.
When enabled, this feature makes it possible to use different apps from your Android phone right in a dedicated window on your Chromebook. In order to enjoy App Streaming, there are a few requirements. First of all, you’ll need to switch over to the Beta Channel and install ChromeOS 114.
From there, you’ll need to have Phone Hub set up with your Android phone, but there are some caveats to be aware of. Notably, App Streaming is compatible with the “Pixel 4A and higher that runs Android version 13 or later.” As for non-Pixel phones, the only options you have are the Xiaomi 12T, 12T Pro, 13, and 13 Pro also running Android 13 “or later.”
In the newly-updated support document, Google also states that both your phone and Chromebook will need to “share the same Wi-Fi network,” and they “must be close to each other.” Provided that you meet the requirements and your Chromebook is running ChromeOS 114 starting now.
Thanks to the arrival of App Streaming when ChromeOS 114 was a Canary build, we’ve had a bit of time to play around with it. Google has been implementing new and exciting ways to make your devices work better together, and this is just the latest example.
