What you need to know
- A new update to Chrome OS Canary is said to be bricking a number of Chromebooks.
- Some Chrome OS devices are left stuck on the startup page after being updated to the latest Canary version of the operating system.
- Google has yet to release a fix for the issue.
The latest version of Chrome OS Canary is reportedly rendering some Chromebooks useless, according to 9to5Google, leaving affected laptops stuck on the "Chrome" logo on startup.
A number of Chromebooks are currently bricked after being updated to the new Chrome OS Canary build. For those who aren't on the Canary version of the system, this issue should not be a major concern.
However, for developers and Chrome OS fans who don't mind unstable software just to get the latest features through the Canary channel, installing the latest update is the last thing they want to do. The report says version version 97.0.4682.0 of Chrome OS Canary is responsible for the bricked laptops.
For starters, this channel is the least stable among the three Chrome OS channels. Google rolls out updates through the Canary channel as frequently as these become available. More stable updates are released through the Dev channel, which happens less frequently. Meanwhile, the most stable update is released once a month. You can click here for a more detailed guide on how to change your software channel on Chrome OS and the Chrome browser.
It appears that the build version responsible for the ongoing issue remains up for grabs, so you'll certainly want to avoid it. While Google has yet to provide a fix, it seems the only way to restore a bricked Chromebook is through factory reset, if you don't mind losing all of your files.
You'll need access to another Chrome OS device as well as a USB drive that you can plug into your device to complete the recovery process. It's unclear which Chrome OS models have been bricked, but some of the best Chromebooks could have been affected.
