Chromebooks Finally Use Sound to Indicate Charging Status
February 16, 2024 By Aaem Joshi
(Image Credit Google)
ChromeOS, the operating system powering Chromebooks, has for quite some time been known for its effortlessness and effectiveness. Notwithstanding, one aspect of ChromeOS has been its absence of system sounds. Dissimilar to other operating systems, for example, Windows and macOS, Chromebooks gave no audio feedback to demonstrate significant events. Yet, everything that has changed now, as Google has acquainted system sound signals with demonstrate charging and battery status on Chromebooks.
System audio plays a significant part in making an operating system more fascinating and easy to use. It helps users to understand the outcome of their activities, regardless of whether they were effective. For instance, the standard sound of a MacBook charging comforts clients without the need to over and over take a look at the screen.
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To bring a more overall experience to Chromebook users, Google has executed system audio prompts connected with charging and low battery levels. At the point when a Chromebook is associated with a charger, it will transmit a pleasant musical hum. Then again, when the battery drops below 15%, a short, melancholic arpeggio will play, showing the requirement for a recharge. Besides, to add a hint of authenticity, the ChromeOS team has planned various varieties of these sounds. At the point when the battery is critically low, a higher-pitched version of the charging noise will play, as though the Chromebook is sighing with relief.
For those curious about how these new audio cues sound, Google has given examples on their official blog. Strangely, ChromeOS stores these system audio records in the lossless FLAC design, which was previously unsupported on Chromebooks. The choice to utilize FLAC is logical because of its open-source nature and its capacity to consume essentially less extra room contrasted with different configurations like WAV.
The initial rollout of charging and low-battery audio indicators occurred in September 2023. On the off chance that you set up a Chromebook after that date, these new audio cues should be enabled by default. However, in some cases, a few users might need to enable it by themselves. This can be done by going to the Settings app, opening the "Device" tab, and navigating to the "Audio" menu. From that point, look down to the "Device sounds" area to toggle the low-battery and charging sounds. In addition to these new features, ChromeOS users can likewise enable the ChromeOS startup sound by following the same directions. Although the startup sound was introduced four years ago, it is still disabled by default.
Looking forward, the ChromeOS team intends to present more system sounds from here on out. However, they plan to keep these additions modest and subtle, particularly taking into account that Chromebooks are generally utilized in educational settings where distractions should be minimized.
With the introduction of system audio cues, Chromebooks have moved forward in giving a more interactive and drawing-in user experience. By integrating sound to show charging and battery status, Google has upgraded the general ease of use and usefulness of ChromeOS. In this way, if you own a Chromebook or want to get one, make a point to investigate these new elements and partake in a more vivid computing experience.
By Aaem Joshi
I am a Journalist who loves digging up stories that remain unheard. Strongly Believe in the knowledge of the social world.
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