Google has released Chrome 103 where it’s been trying to solve the sync issues users have had with Google devices for years, starting with Phone Hub.
In that new update (opens in new tab)The feature is enhancing how photos taken on your Android device will appear on your other Google devices such as Chromebooks and tablets, as long as you are signed in to the same account.
There’s also, finally, a better way to share Wi-Fi passwords thanks to proximity sharing. Once connected to a network, you can share this with another Chromebook or smartphone like the Pixel 6, for example, allowing them to connect to the network in an instant.
It’s nice to finally see these quality-of-life features coming from Google, considering Apple has had them for years. However, while the company claims that this is just the beginning of what it wants to do to sync devices, this should have happened much sooner.
Analysis: good start Google, now let’s see more
We are in an age where many users have more than one smart device, and many of them run on Google software. Considering it’s been difficult to share content across devices for years, it’s disconcerting that the company hasn’t made improvements to this sooner.
Apple’s iCloud service has allowed sharing Wi-Fi tabs and passwords between users since 2015, for example, while pairing your AirPods to an iPhone has been around since 2017, while Google didn’t introduce a similar feature until 2021.
It’s time for the company to act together on this, and it’s reassuring that it appears to be doing so. However, time will tell how quickly these changes will make their way to Android 13, Chrome OS, and more.