New Features with ChromeOS 127

Stable Channel
Released to stable on August 8, 2024

It’s time to update your Chrome Extensions to Manifest V3. ChromeOS 127 features updates to PDF accessibility, user profiles, and Chromebook for EDU.

Chrome extensions are transitioning to Manifest V3
Migrate your Chrome extensions to Manifest V3 before June 2025. Manifest V3 brings improved privacy for users—for example, by moving to a model where extensions modify requests declaratively, without the ability to see individual requests. Manifest V3 further improves extension security, by disallowing remotely hosted code. Chrome will begin to gradually disable Manifest V2 extensions starting in June 2024, with Chrome 127’s pre-stable release.

Improved PDF accessibility in the Gallery app
Use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and AI to read PDFs directly from the Gallery app. ChromeOS now launches a PDF OCR AI reader on Gallery, enabling reading for inaccessible documents and further filling the gap in accessibility for low vision and blind users that use a screen reader. ChromeOS leverages its machine learning models to extract, compartmentalize, and section PDF documents to make them more accessible on the Gallery app for ChromeVox users.

Read aloud in Reading Mode
Hear the text you’re reading with the new Read Aloud feature in Reading Mode. Read Aloud brings Google's high quality voices to Chrome Reading Mode, letting users leverage Text to Speech to read content on the web. The goal of Read Aloud is to help people who have difficulty reading long-form text—hearing the text that is being read can improve focus and comprehension.

Classroom Glanceables for EDU
Students can now quickly view and access their upcoming Classroom assignments with one click from their Chromebook home screen. Users can see this new feature if they are logged into a Chromebook with an account where they are enrolled in active courses in Google Classroom. Users can find this feature by clicking on the date chip on the shelf of their Chromebook if they are logged into an account, where they will see the new panel which can view lists of their upcoming, due, missing and completed assignments.

Chrome Profile Separation for Enterprise
Chrome profiles offer a user-friendly way to keep personal and work browsing data separate, simplifying the experience, preventing data breaches, and ensuring privacy and compliance. We have created three policies to help you control profile separation in your organization: ProfileSeparationSettings⁠, ProfileSeparationDataMigrationSettings⁠ and ProfileSeparationDomainExceptionList⁠. These policies replace ManagedAccountsSigninRestriction⁠ and EnterpriseProfileCreationKeepBrowsingData⁠.

Generating insights for DevTools Console warnings and errors
Get AI-generated insights for Chrome DevTools Console warnings and errors⁠. In Chrome 127, this Generative AI (GenAI) feature becomes available for managed Chrome Enterprise and Education users in supported regions. These insights provide a personalized description and suggested fixes for the selected errors and warnings. Admins can control this feature using the DevToolsGenAiSettings⁠ policy.

Also released in ChromeOS 127
ChromeOS 127 makes it easier to control calls on Bluetooth and manage PDFs, along with changes to Incognito and video conferencing.

Use call control buttons on compatible Bluetooth headsets
Answer, reject, or terminate calls on compatible Bluetooth headsets. ChromeOS now supports hardware call control buttons on select headsets, including muting the microphone.

Delete or reorder PDF pages in the Gallery app
Delete or reorder pages within a PDF via mouse or keyboard shortcuts, directly from the Gallery app.

HTTPS-First Mode in Incognito
Starting in Chrome 127, as part of Chrome's move towards HTTPS by default⁠, HTTPS-First Mode is enabled by default in Incognito mode. Users will see a warning before they navigate to sites over insecure HTTP. This can be controlled using the existing enterprise policies HttpsOnlyMode⁠ and HttpAllowlist⁠.

ChromeOS Video Conferencing: DLC States for features
ChromeOS 127 introduces a visual enhancement for Downloadable Content (DLC) in the video control panel. This release now adds status indicators for Noise Cancellation, Live Captions, Relighting, and Blur.