Chrome OS is getting a revamped Connectivity Diagnostics app

Kyle Bradshaw | Nov 9 2020 - 12:01 pm PT

Chrome OS’s “Connectivity Diagnostics” app, used to help figure out why your Chromebook’s internet connection may be acting up, is poised to get a revamp.

Considering how internet-focused Chromebooks have always been, being unable to connect to the internet is a particularly frustrating problem. For quite a few years now, Google has offered Connectivity Diagnostics for Chrome OS as an optional app in the Chrome Web Store to help figure out why you may be experiencing issues getting online.

However, Connectivity Diagnostics as we know it today is actually a Chrome App, and as of this year Chrome Apps as a whole are set to be deprecated in June 2021. In light of that, as spotted by Android Police, Google is preparing a revamped version of Connectivity Diagnostics, built on web technology. For now, the app is only available on Chrome OS Canary and is locked behind a new flag in chrome://flags.

Connectivity Diagnostics WebUI
Use the WebUI version of the Connectivity Diagnostics App
#connectivity-diagnostics-webui

: Image: Android Police

With that enabled, you’ll now have the new version of the app in the launcher. Opening it reveals a simple window offering a handful of network tests. Unlike the previous version, which automatically ran all of its tests when you first open it, the new Connectivity Diagnostics allows you to individually run each test. For most folks, though, you’ll probably just want to use the “Run all Routines” button at the top.

This isn’t the first time Google has worked to revamp this Chromebook networking tool, as last year work was being done to bundle Connectivity Diagnostics directly into Chrome OS. Unfortunately, this work never quite panned out.

Considering we’re only just now seeing the revamped app appear in Chrome OS Canary, the new Connectivity Diagnostics likely will not formally launch until at least Chrome OS 88, set to release in late January. It’s also possible Google may continue to make refinements to the app between now and the June 2021 cutoff date for Chrome Apps.