Google has finally added VPN support for Linux apps on Chrome OS. Chrome OS 75.0.3770.10, which is currently in Dev channel, enables the support in Crostini. Both the native Linux VPN for Chrome OS and Android VPNs are supported, though the former is still a work-in-progress.
In addition to VPN support, the latest release for Chrome OS also contains a few bug fixes, as well as new features. Chrome OS 75 is expected to hit the Stable channel in mid-June.
Chrome OS 75 new features
Google recently completed a code change to extend Android VPN support to Linux. Linux applications now operate under whatever VPN is currently being used in the device. Your Linux container will automatically route traffic over a VPN if you have one running on your Chromebook, enabling a more secure networking. And having support for both Android VPN and native Linux VPN offers an extra layer of control and configuration options to the users. Though the support is currently in Dev channel, there are no flags to enable. “It just works, and works flawlessly.”
Chrome OS 75 also adds a disk space checker into the Crostini installer to verify adequate disk space for installations. Earlier, when there wasn’t any disk space checker, the installation would proceed normally without any disk space warnings and eventually fail. Google is now collecting a few more metrics to determine the cause of installation failures. This include disk space, download times, and installation errors.
Other significant changes in Chrome OS 75 include the addition of an architecture check before importing a backup. This feature would check that the backup being imported is compatible with the device. Google has also fixed the issue for Pixelbook and Pixel Slate owners where their Google Assistant button had stopped working.
