Chromebooks Are About To Get A Feature They've Been Missing Since The Start
Chromebook users may soon be able to hibernate their devices, a feature that has been available on Windows for decades. Chrome OS gains new features with practically every update, but it still lacks some key ones compared to Windows and macOS. For example, the operating system doesn't have a restart button. Instead, users have to shut down their device and then turn it on again when they need to restart.
When a device is put into hibernation, the current work a user is doing is saved to the storage before the machine completely powers down. The next time the device is turned on, the user picks up from where they left off. Putting a device in hibernation helps to save battery as compared to other suspend states such as Sleep mode, which shuts off the CPU but keeps the RAM turned on so that the user can pick up where they left off when the device is woken up.
Chromebooks don't have a hibernate mode, but that may change soon as Google is already working on bringing the feature to Chrome OS. The feature, dubbed "Hiberman" (short for Hibernate Manager), has been in development since Oct. 2021, as reported by 9to5Google. Google even has an explanation on Chromium on how it will work. It reveals some pretty interesting details, such as how the hibernate state will be saved and where the data will be saved while considering the different Chrome OS device boards.
A fascinating detail in the Chromium explanation is that the hibernate image can be encrypted with a key from user authentication, such as the user's password and Trusted Platform Module (TPM). If the user who logs in when the device is turned on is not the same user who hibernated, the hibernate image will be discarded, and a fresh boot will proceed. If authentication is successful, it decrypts the image, and the user resumes from where they left off.
It is not yet known when the feature will be available. There is also no mention of how it will be implemented. There are speculations that a new button may be added to the Quick Settings panel for this purpose, but another plausible route may be to add the hibernate button to the power menu that appears after long-pressing the power button on the Chromebook itself. Nevertheless, more details should be available when its nearing release.
While users await the arrival of the hibernation feature, they can still sort of pick up where they left off anytime they boot up their Chromebook by turning on the Restore apps on startup feature. To turn it on, go to Settings, select Apps, and turn on "Restore apps on startup." Users can choose between an automatic restore or want to be asked every time they boot up the system.
Source: 9to5Google, Chromium