

You'll find him writing how-to guides on these topics, but you may also see him dabble in other content areas from time-to-time. He specializes in Chromebooks, Android smartphones, Android apps, and Google hardware and software products. Zach has been a How-to Writer at Android Police since January 2022. Google is testing a system that lets you use keyboard presses as a substitute for touch events. Chromebooks usually let you resize these apps into a normal window, but they make look or function suboptimally, especially if your Chromebook doesn't have a touchscreen. As a result, it displays in a vertical, phone-sized format by default. For example, the Google Family Link app, which handles parental controls for Chromebooks and Android devices, is designed for mobile devices. While most Android apps can be used on Chromebooks, not every app is designed with a Chromebook in mind. Not all apps and games are available on Chromebooks, but most are.

In addition, if you downloaded or purchased an app on an Android phone or tablet, you can most likely use the app on your Chromebook and don't have to pay for it a second time. The Play Store gives Chromebooks access to many applications they may not have had access to otherwise. Some companies produce gaming Chromebooks, which focus on cloud gaming by providing faster refresh rates, higher-speed Wi-Fi capabilities, and better-quality gaming keyboards, including RGB capability.Įarly Chromebooks could only use the Chrome browser, but all modern Chromebooks can access a slew of apps through the Google Play Store.

You can also find higher-end Chromebooks with blisteringly-fast hardware for significantly more money.

There are many budget-friendly Chromebooks, and the lowest-end machines sometimes go on sale for less than $100. Both established manufacturers, such as HP and Lenovo, and newcomers, such as Framework, make Chromebooks, though larger manufacturers usually have a variety of models at differing price points. There is a variety of Chromebook hardware available from several manufacturers. A disconnected Chromebook can edit the files saved to the device, and these files sync with the online version the next time the Chromebook connects to the internet. Offline modes are available for cloud-based services like Google Docs and Google Sheets, and some Android apps can be used offline. While a Chromebook is web-focused, every modern Chromebook can be used offline.
