Getting all your devices signed in to a new Wi-Fi network can be a hassle: enter the same password over and over again, and hope you do not make any mistakes. Google began experimenting with ways to simplify this process last year when Chrome OS Canary began syncing Wi-Fi passwords with other devices. That feature has never been broadly elaborated, leaving us wondering whether its evolution had continued. Fortunately, that was not the case, and now Google is working on a new and improved Wi-Fi syncing solution for Chrome OS.
There are some important differences between this new implementation and the old one. The method we saw last year used the bookmark synchronization process to exchange Wi-Fi information, which meant you had to be connected to the internet to work. Fortunately, things are different this time around. Chrome OS will now use the Connected Devices service, which will soon become the Phone Hub.
All this means that Wi-Fi configuration data will be exchanged over Bluetooth, without internet connection required. When you go to a new office or a friend’s house, you can enter the Wi-Fi information on your phone or Chromebook, and the other device gets everything it needs via Bluetooth, allowing it to connect. That’s right – this feature works both ways, from Chromebook to Android and vice versa.
Digging through the comments made by the Chrome devs, they mention Chrome 92 as a release target. That may be their goal for a fully stable release, when the feature arrives for testing in Canary. Remember, this is not a set-in-stone release window, just a goal that the developers have set for themselves. After all, it could have been pulled closer again than even previously released. The only thing we know for sure is that Google is working on this, but Wi-Fi syncing is very early in development and will not arrive soon.
