ChromeOS 136 is rolling out: here’s what we’ve found so far

The latest version of ChromeOS – M136 – has begun rolling out to most Chromebooks, and while Google’s official release notes are still on their way, we’ve found a a few things this update brings to the table by looking at official enterprise notes and developer channels. For now, it appears M136 is focused on refinements, important privacy and security boosts, and some significant new tools for managed environments.

Subtle but useful tweaks

For everyday users, the changes in ChromeOS 136 might feel more subtle, but there are a couple of noteworthy improvements we’ve found that are on the way:

• Quick Share Gets More Time: If you frequently use Quick Share to send files between your Chromebook and Android devices (or other Chromebooks), you’ll appreciate a small but practical update. The “Visible to everyone” mode, which allows your device to be discovered for sharing, can now be extended up to a maximum of 10 minutes, up from the previous 5-minute limit. This gives you a little more breathing room when you’re trying to initiate a share.

• Quick Share gets true Quick Settings treatment: Along with the extended time frame, Quick Share is also getting a dedicated Quick Settings panel for easier controls without needing to dive into settings each time a transfer is being accepted or initiated.
• Enhanced Privacy for Visited Links: This is a browser-level (Chrome 136) improvement that directly benefits ChromeOS users. To better protect your Browse history from potential leaks, the way websites can style links you’ve already visited (:visited links) has been significantly restricted. Now, a link will generally only appear as “visited” if you clicked it from the same website and context. It’s a solid step forward for user privacy that works behind the scenes.

Beyond these, it’s likely ChromeOS 136 includes the usual array of minor bug fixes and under-the-hood polish that should make for a smoother overall experience, even if those changes aren’t always individually listed.

Key upgrades for admins and managed Chromebooks

While everyday feature additions seem light in this release so far, M136 brings some more substantial updates for IT administrators managing fleets of Chromebooks, particularly in education and enterprise settings:

• Admin-initiated remote desktop sessions: This is a significant new capability. IT teams can now initiate Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) sessions to managed Chromebooks that can be auto-approved after a 30-second delay (if the user doesn’t decline). This should streamline remote support, though it comes with important privacy safeguards like requiring the device to be on a managed network and showing recent user activity.
• New Enterprise tools: The update also includes things like a new Chrome Enterprise reporting connector for Crowdstrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM and an extension of WebProtect URL filtering to managed Android devices, giving admins more robust security and management tools.

Rolling out now

As ChromeOS 136 (specifically version 136.0.7103.102) continues its roll-out, we’ll keep an eye out for any other user-facing changes that become apparent. For now, M136 seems to be another iterative update for most users, focusing on smaller improvements, bug fixes and security. As always, the update will reach devices progressively over the coming days and weeks. You can check if it’s available for your Chromebook by heading to Settings > About ChromeOS > Check for updates.