Massively-improved Global Media Controls are rolling out on Chromebooks

We talked about the new, updated Global Media Controls for ChromeOS back before they technically became part of the update to ChromeOS 121. While this new-look feature didn’t actually show up out of the box in 121 (I don’t count a feature as delivered unless it’s there with no additional steps required), it’s been behind a simple flag since the update. Now however, it looks like the new, Material You-themed Media Controls are rolling out for users.

There was an incremental update to ChromeOS 121.0.6167.212 over the past week, but I’m not convinced this feature came along with that patch. On the HP Chromebook Plus I’m using right now, my Global Media Controls just updated without warning and then the tiny update hit my device the next day. My bet is this was a server-side roll-out and Google finally just flipped the switch.

I’ve tested this on a handful of devices already, and it seems like we’re seeing the new Global Media Controls across the board at this point. While it doesn’t really add much in the way of actual functionality, the new look fits into the modern ChromeOS aesthetic far better and I feel like things are quite a bit more intuitive with the new setup.

Primarily, the biggest upgrade I see is with cast controls. Instead of a weird, all-white menu popping up near the cast button you click in any given window or app, the new Global Media Controls take over immediately and simply pop up from your system tray when called upon. It makes casting feel far less fractured and a lot more cohesive; even if the functions under the hood are technically the same.

If you have yet to get this update, I’d recommend a restart to see if it appears. I’m unsure if that was required for me or not as I just noticed the new controls appearing out of nowhere one day. Still, I’d imagine a reboot should be in order for a feature that is being turned on via Google’s servers, and once you get it up and running, you’ll 100% be glad you did.