Last week, Chrome OS 88 began rolling out to users around the world. This update included some very useful front-end features for users, but the most talked about is undoubtedly the new Chrome OS screen saver. Once called the ambient mode, the screen saver feature has been more than a year and a half in the works and is now available to you on Chrome OS’s stable channel.
Before we get into the new Chrome OS screen saver, let’s talk a little bit about what it isn’t. A number of publications refer to the new feature as a way to turn your Chromebook into a smart display. The screen saver offers bits of useful information, but not the functionality of devices like the Nest Hub or Lenovo Smart Display. In its current state, the screen saver does a number of useful tricks. First, it gives you the option to customize the images that appear on your screen when the screen is not used for a specified amount of time. As with a Chromecast, users can choose between images from Google’s curated art and photo albums, or you can turn on your Google Photos and select from your personal photo albums.
In addition to the customizable graphics, you get basic weather information, the time, and a ticker in the top right corner of the screen that displays media that you are playing when the screen is inactive. All of this is very useful and it gives your Chromebook a truly personal feel. That said, you can say ‘Hey G’ and expect your Chromebook to turn into a smart display with Assistant. You cannot control your home devices or ping the Assistant with a question about your favorite team’s scores. That’s not to say this isn’t on the roadmap for the Chrome OS screensaver. It’s just not there right now and I don’t know if it will ever happen. Personally, I don’t know if I want my Chromebook to turn into a smart display when the screen is inactive. I suppose it wouldn’t be a problem with Voice Match as long as there was some way to prevent others from communicating with my device. Either way, it’s nothing so it’s not a big deal at the moment.
Okay. If you want to enable the screen saver on your Chromebook, it’s as easy as 1,2,3. Go to your Chrome OS settings menu. You can do this by clicking on the quick settings menu at the bottom right of your screen. You should see a gear icon at the top of the settings. Click on that. Now you are in the settings menu. Click on the “Personalization” tab in the left menu. The last setting on the list should be ‘screen saver’. If not, you may still be using Chrome OS 87. To check, click the “About Chrome OS” tab in the left menu and select “check for updates.” Back to the screen saver. You can switch between Fahrenheit or Celsius depending on your personal preference. To set your photos for the screen saver, click Art Gallery to receive Art & Photography from Google. That is it. When your screen goes idle, you will see images just like the images on your Chromecast or smart display.
If you want a more personalized experience, you can select ‘photos’ and choose which album you want to see photos from on your Chromebook. You can choose as many albums as you want. If you want to showcase a specific set of photos curated just for your Chromebook, just go to Google Photos and create a new album just for this task. Click on the Albums tab and then click on ‘create album’. Call it whatever you want. Then find the photos you want to use for your Chromebook and add them to the new album. Once done, go back to the screen saver on your Chromebook and your new album should be available as an ambient display option. That’s all there is to it. I hope you found this helpful. I like the new screen saver option, and I think it’s a great addition to the ecosystem.