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Late last summer, Chrome OS developers began work on a new Diagnostic app that will eventually give users access to a suite of tests for their devices. Based on how the features have evolved, I’d say that the Diagnostic app will be utilized as a tool for self-diagnosing system and hardware issues as well as providing detailed information to developers and OEMs when creating feedback, a.k.a a bug report. The information provided by the new app includes a battery discharge/health test, live CPU usage, and a battery of tests for the memory and processor.
Still disable behind a flag, the Diagnostic app has undergone numerous updates over the past few weeks and it appears to be working – as far as I can tell – as intended. You can find the Diagnostic app flag in the Stable channel right now but you’ll find that the tool is unfinished with now styling and a bunch of mock data just like we saw when we first discovered it. In the Canary channel that just recently updated to version 90 of Chrome OS, the story is a little different. The app is still behind a flag but as you can see in the image above, you can actually see real data and the UI has been polished significantly.
The latest update to the Diagnostic app brings deeper integration between the tool and the underlying operating system. When enabled in Chrome OS 90, a shortcut for the Diagnostic app is now nest in the “About Chrome OS” tab of the settings menu directly beneath the “report and issue” tab. This makes perfect sense when you consider that’s where you may end up if you are trying to diagnose an issue with your Chromebook. The app includes an option to save your session logs which can then be submitted through the proper channels when seeking assistance. Chrome OS 90 is still a few months out but I could totally see this making its way to version 89 if developers deem it ready from prime time. We’ll keep an eye on the Diagnostic app and let you know when it goes live in the Stable channel.
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