The new Recorder app will arrive for all Chromebooks, not just Plus models

At the Chromebook event in New York a couple weeks ago, Google unveiled a few new devices (the new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus and the new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11″) alongside a bunch of great, new software on the way. Some of those new features came with the imminent arrival of ChromeOS 129, but quite a few were labeled as “coming soon.”

Of the “coming soon” variety, the new Recorder app is one of the tools I think most people are really looking forward to. And after a jump to the Beta Channel where ChromeOS is currently in version 130, the new Recorder app is installed right out of the box, and it is impressive.

We’re actually planning more content for this feature as it is set to roll out to the Stable Channel of ChromeOS 130 by the end of October. I don’t usually advise most users to jump to experimental channels unless it is necessary or you just want to try things out. For the vast majority, sticking with the Stable Channel is the way to go, so you can expect this new app to be a part of the general Chromebook experience in just a few more weeks.

Recorder app is coming for ALL Chromebooks

For today, I just want to point out the fact that this amazing, new tool will be available for ALL Chromebook users – not just Chromebook Plus users. And I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.

We tested on Chromebook Plus and standard Chromebook models, and you get the exact same Recorder app on both once you hit ChromeOS 130. And that app is powerful, coming with the ability to separate speakers, record from multiple sources (including your device’s internal audio), give you a transcript, provide highlighted transcript playback synced with the audio, and AI-generated summaries as well.

The only feature in the Recorder app that is restricted to Chromebook Plus is that final one: AI-generated summaries. And while I think this could be an amazing feature for those recording a long call or meeting, this new Recorder app is still quite powerful without it. And again, it’s coming to all Chromebooks!

Frankly, I love this. So many of Google’s AI-driven tools are usually part of a larger application, and as useful as some of those tools are, they shouldn’t preclude users from having the base application they are a part of. Are there helpful AI bits and pieces in Gmail and Docs? Sure! But even if I don’t have the AI tools, I shouldn’t be excluded from the underlying tools themselves.

And that’s what I’m enjoying so much about this move. As Google adds features to ChromeOS, I’m hopeful they will continue doing so with a keen eye on what truthfully can and cannot be done on non-Plus devices. Creating feature gaps for the sake of feature gaps is a bad idea, and the more they can keep new, useful tools available across all of ChromeOS, the better.