Release Date: July/August 2025 (Largely retracted). Version 138 showed ambition to revolutionize cross-device continuity but faced technical challenges.
Desk Sync and Cookie Synchronization
The "hero feature" was Desk Sync: the ability to work on Chromebook A and continue exactly where you left off on Chromebook B.
- Technical Complexity: Synchronization of window layout, application position, and session cookies.
- Cookie Sync Challenge: Securely transferring session tokens via the encrypted sync chain proved complex.
- The Auth Incident: Users with third-party IdPs (like Clever) got stuck in an authentication loop. Google pulled the update for many devices.
AI Features: Help Me Read and Wallpapers
Despite the issues, v138 contained AI innovations for Chromebook Plus:
- Help Me Read: Integration of Gemini Nano in the browser for web page summaries.
- Generative Wallpapers: Expansion of personalization with text-to-image generation for backgrounds.
Web Platform
- CSS progress(): Mathematical function for animations based on progress.
- View Transitions API: Refinements for seamless transitions in Multi-Page Applications (MPA).