[Update] Important information regarding extending automatic updates for your ChromeOS devices

[Kim_Nilsson]

Dear ChromeOS Admin,

Following our announcement in September 2023, we are sharing additional details about enabling automatic update extensions for ChromeOS, offering 10 years of OS and security updates. This message provides you with details regarding eligible models and the opt-in process.

What does this mean for your institution?

Most managed ChromeOS devices will automatically receive updates with no action required.

In order to maintain security, performance and stability, admins will be required to opt-in to extended updates for the following devices because doing so will remove Android apps and the Play Store:

• Acer Chromebook 11 (C732, C732T, C732L, C732LT)
• Acer Chromebook 11 (CB311-8H, CB311-8HT)
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB315-1H, CB315-1HT)
• Acer Chromebook 15 (CB515-1H, CB515-1HT)
• Acer Chromebook 311 (C721)
• Acer Chromebook 315 (CB315-2H)
• Acer Chromebook 514
• Acer Chromebook R13 (CB5-312T)
• Acer Chromebook R13 (CB5-312T)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 11 (CP311-1H, CP311-1HN)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 11 (R751T / CP511)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 15 (CP315)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 311 (R721T)
• ASUS Chromebook C202XA
• ASUS Chromebook C203XA
• ASUS Chromebook C223
• ASUS Chromebook C403
• ASUS Chromebook C423
• ASUS Chromebook C523
• ASUS Chromebook CX1100CNA
• ASUS Chromebook CX1400CNA
• ASUS Chromebook CX1500CNA
• ASUS Chromebook Flip C213
• Chromebook 14-ca0
• Chromebook 14-ca1
• Chromebook 14-db0
• CTL Chromebook J41 / J41T
• CTL chromebook NL7
• CTL Chromebook NL7 / NL7T-360 / NL7TW-360
• Dell Chromebook 11 (5190)
• Dell Chromebook 11 2-in-1 (5190)
• Edxis Chromebook 11 / X11
• HP Chromebook 11 G6 EE
• HP Chromebook 11-ae0
• HP Chromebook 11-ae1
• HP Chromebook 11a
• HP Chromebook 11A G6 EE
• HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE
• Lanix Chromebook C116
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook
• Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen MTK
• Lenovo 100e Gen 2 AST
• Lenovo 14e Chromebook
• Lenovo 300e
• Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen MTK
• Lenovo 300e Gen 2 AST
• Lenovo 500e Chromebook
• Lenovo Chromebook S345-14
• Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook
• Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Chromebook (11", 5)
• Lenovo Ideapad C330 Chromebook
• Lenovo Ideapad S330 Chromebook
• Lenovo N23 Yoga
• Lenovo ThinkPad 11e 4th Gen Chromebook
• Multilaser Chromebook M11C-PC912
• Multilaser Chromebook M11HC-PC911
• NEC Chromebook Y1 Gen2A
• PCmerge Chromebook AL116
• Poin2 Chromebook 11C
• Poin2 Chromebook 14
• Positivo Chromebook N2110
• Positivo Chromebook N2112
• Prowise Chromebook Eduline
• Prowise Chromebook Eduline 360
• Sector 5 E3 Chromebook
• Viglen Chromebook 11C
• Viglen Chromebook 360C

Please note that web experiences on ChromeOS, which can be found on the Google for Education App Hub, will still be available on all versions of ChromeOS.

Starting in the second quarter of 2024, you will be able to opt-in to extended automatic updates for your eligible devices via a setting in the Admin console.

We’re here to help.

For additional information, see our Help Center article, which will also be updated as soon as the opt-in settings become available.

Thanks for choosing ChromeOS.

– The Google Chrome Team

[Kim_Nilsson]

😭still no Asus C302.

[Kim_Nilsson]

Basically this is just an email reminding us that this is coming, because it's not here yet.

[ddelboccio]

Did I miss something?  Android apps are going away?

[Kim_Nilsson]

Only for devices that get extended AUE this time.

Not for devices not requested for extension.

[zauciello-flint]

That's good to hear Chrome OS is getting extended. The short OS lifespan was the largest weakness for ChromeOS specially compared to Windows devices. It gladen me to hear Google is expanding that even at the lost of Android Play support. So many users will keep on using the old Chromebooks past the OS end of support simply because the hardware still works. 

[Kim_Nilsson]

I don't agree.

Eight (8) years is not a short lifespan for a device, nor for an OS. Especially in a school - good luck keeping a student device alive for 8 years!

The problem is that people buy old devices, and it's not possible to easily keep updating it after its AUE date.

And even then TCO would let you buy two Chrome devices instead of one Windows device, making that argument moot.

Still, if you ignore the security concerns, you can keep using end-of-life products long after they should have been replaced.

Apple too deprecates their very expensive hardware regularly, by not allowing them to run newer macOS and iOS, halting security updates, and Microsoft did the same for the first time with Windows 11, by not allowing installation of Windows 11 on devices not meeting the requirements.

At the same time, removing support for Android is obviously just a way to save money on continuous development, as new devices from the same company with basically the same hardware will, of course, fully support Android during the same time.

[Rick2025]

Here is a question, so the list of devices get an extension of time. So I have a lenovo 100 in that boat. So if you accept ( before June 2024 when it shows in the admin panel) - one year earlier than original eol date, will that mean android apps will no longer work on that device in July 2024. Or will it mean when the june 2025 eol device date happens, then from that point on it will remove the android apps and playstore.  I am hoping the latter would apply since there is likley only one checkbox to enable. I hope that's clear

[zauciello-flint]

This is good to see; having OS software last as long as (some) hardware is a win. Most users I talk with want to keep a Chromebook until it physical is broken. One user I met would not replace their chromebook until websites stopped working because it was years past end of life. The scary part was they were using it for online banking. The trade off of android apps support being dropped is an perfectly acceptable trade off in my opinion. Allowing users to keep on using the old Chrome hardware with a secure OS is a good all around.

[jpark]

Are the settings for opting in available in the Admin console? I tried searching and poking around, to no avail.  Has anyone found them?

[bethhughes]

I had devices in the Google Admin Console that were in both categories. The devices on the approved list have already changed their AUE dates in the GAC. Then I had older models that were part of the list that said I would need to opt-in. The last info I saw was the opt-in would be part of the next GAC console update. Several months ago, I noticed that the the opt-in devices' dates had updated to the extended dates. As of March 25, 2024 there were still conversations on ChromiumOS Discussion asking about the opt-in process but no new answers from Google Support. Aside from, "For older models not automatically receiving extended updates, an administrator must 'opt in' via a policy in the Admin console. This policy will be available before the first devices receive extended updates in June 2024." So, not a real straightforward answers as to the "How?" 

[MattDPenn]

I'm not 100% sure but I seem to recall my coworker managing to find something that the Opt-In button appears within a certain time span of a given model's current AUE date. Something like within a month of the date maybe?

Personally I find it annoying the current way its listed. "Automatic updates until" should be what the actual current AUE, until the Opt In is triggered at least, and "Extended support start date" should have been titled differently (add optional maybe?) and be the extended date.

[jpark]

I exported all our device info from the Admin console, and found that the auto update extensions had already been applied to our devices.  Specifically, HP 11 G6 EE.   Thanks!