Googlebooks had a rocky start, with half-baked features and missing functionality. Google has been hard at work on improving the experience for early adopters, rolling out several updates in October to address the reported shortcomings. It is now rolling out the first update for Googlebooks in November, packed with enhancements.
Despite packing relatively powerful hardware, many Googlebooks users reported performance issues, especially when they pushed their laptop to its limits. Google’s November update addresses this issue by making some under-the-hood changes (via Reddit).
This includes optimizing on-device AI services, enabling the OS to reclaim more system memory when Chrome requires more memory to run smoothly.
The update promises to cut memory usage by up to ~6GB on the Acer Googlebook 14, Asus Googlebook 14, and Lenovo Googlebook 15. Google achieved this by updating the NPU driver’s memory management on these laptops, freeing up 3–6 GB of RAM. This should significantly improve the multitasking experience and provide a smoother system experience.
Google tackles audio lag, black screens, and frozen terminals
Google also tackled an annoying Bluetooth issue with the November update. On the HP Googlebook 14 and Dell XPS Googlebook 13, the company changed how the OS routes Bluetooth audio to fix a lip-sync delay when watching videos with wireless earbuds.
It’s now also possible to select compatible Bluetooth hearing aids as an audio output device. A bug in the previous build re-routed the sent calls and audio through the laptop’s speakers instead.
For multi-monitor setups, Google addressed a bug that could hide the taskbar and desktop icons after you unplugged multiple external displays from your Googlebook. The update also fixes a bug that could leave Netflix videos playing audio while the external display showed a black picture.
The Linux Terminal beta experience will be more reliable after the November update. Active shell sessions should stay connected when you wake your Googlebook or switch tabs, and Google fixed a bug that could interrupt SSH connections and other forwarded ports.
Closing one Terminal window no longer shuts down the Linux virtual machine while other windows are open, and system updates now preserve your Linux files and custom SSH server settings. The update further improves the Terminal’s integration with Antigravity and keeps Terminal keystrokes and console output out of system diagnostic logs.
The November update is rolling out gradually as build CL3B.260622.286.R2 and brings the November 1, 2026 Android security patch to all Googlebook models. To check if it’s available for your laptop, go to Settings > System > Software updates > System update.
