How to use Phone Hub to connect Chrome OS to Android

Bringing Android and Chrome OS devices closer together and making Chrome OS a more user-friendly platform is one of the top priorities in Google's software development strategy today. The launch of the extremely useful Phone Hub feature is the clearest proof.

What is Phone Hub?

Phone Hub allows users to link Android devices with Chrome OS , sync notifications, view recent tabs, and view messages from Android phones on Chromebooks.

Google has been developing Phone Hub for Chrome OS for a while, but has just officially launched it on Chrome OS 89. Phone Hub basically works similarly to Microsoft's " Your Phone " application on Windows 10. In this article, we will learn how to use Phone Hub.

Connect Chrome OS to Android using Phone Hub

To use the new Phone Hub feature, follow these steps:

Step 1: Connect your Android phone to your Chromebook by clicking on the clock in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook screen > click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu .

Step 2: In the Settings menu that appears, click on the “ Connected Devices ” tab.

Step 3: You will see the “ Android Phone ” section here. Click on the “ Set Up ” button to start the customization process.

Step 4: A new window will open with a drop-down menu listing active Android devices linked to your Google account. Select the device you want to use and click “ Accept & Continue ”.

Step 5: Enter your Google account password and click “ Done ”.

Step 6 : If the authentication is correct, the two devices will be connected to each other. Click “ Done ” to return to the Chromebook Settings menu.

Step 7: Your phone name will now be listed under “ Connected Devices ”. Click on it to continue.

Here are all the settings related to your connected Android device. First, make sure that “ Phone Hub ” is enabled.

There will be two toggle switches under the " Phone Hub " section that correspond to additional features. Turn on the options you want to use.

• Notifications : Notifications from “chat apps” on your connected Android device will be synced and displayed on your Chromebook.
• Recent Chrome Tabs : If you use Chrome on your Android device, tabs you've recently opened appear in the Hub.

Once you complete the steps above, you will see a phone icon appear on the Shelf area of ​​your Chromebook. Click it to open the Phone Hub.

Let's take a look at the Phone Hub interface.

Starting at the top, you can see the name of your Android device, its signal strength, and its battery level. The gear icon takes you directly to the Settings we looked at earlier.

The middle section has a few buttons that support controlling the connected Android device.

• Enable Hotspot : If your phone supports this feature and you've enabled Instant Tethering on your Chromebook, your computer will connect to your phone's Internet.
• Silence Phone (silent mode: Mute ringer and notification sounds on your Android device.
• Locate Phone : Make your phone ring loudly so you can easily determine where the device is.

The bottom area will show you the two most recent tabs you've visited in the Google Chrome browser on your Android device. Just click to open them on your Chromebook .

So, if you own an Android device and a Chromebook, connecting them has become very easy thanks to Phone Hub. You can focus on working on your computer and still not miss the important things that appear on your phone.