How to Connect a Phone to Chromebook Using Phone Hub

How to Connect a Phone to Chromebook Using Phone Hub.

Phone Hub is a ChromeOS feature that allows you to access and control Android devices from your Chromebook. With Phone Hub, you can view your phone’s notifications, unlock your Chromebook without a password, use your phone on the web, and more.

This guide covers the steps to set up Phone Hub on a Chromebook. You’ll also learn how to use the Phone Hub features on your Chromebook.

Phone Hub Requirements

Sharing and syncing information across devices in the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch, Apple TV, etc.) is easy. This is because the same company develops their own operating systems (and hardware).

Chromebooks and Android smartphones run operating systems (Android and Chrome OS) developed by Google. Thus, connecting both devices is equally easy, as long as they meet the requirements of the OS.

First, Phone Hub works on Chromebooks running Chrome OS v71 or later. So, go to Settings > About Chrome OS to check your Chromebook operating system version.

Also, your companion Android phone must be running Android version 5.1 or later.

Go to “Settings” > “About phone” and check the line “Android version” for the operating system of your device.

The final requirement is that you must link your Chromebook and Android phone to the same (personal) Google account.

Note. You may not be able to connect your Chromebook to your Android phone if one of the devices is using a Google work or school account.

How to Set Up Phone Hub on Chromebook

Pairing your Android phone and Chromebook is a simple process. Open the Settings app on your Chromebook and do the following:

Select “Connected Devices” in the sidebar and click the “Settings” button next to “Android Phone”.

The Setup Assistant will automatically detect and display the devices associated with your Google account. Select Accept and continue.

If you have multiple Android phones linked to your Google Account, select your preferred device and click Accept and Continue.

Enter your Google account password and click Done.

To continue, select “Done” on the success page.

Your phone is now paired with your Chromebook. Therefore, you should receive a notification on your phone.

Similarly, the phone icon (Phone Hub) will appear in the status bar of your Chromebook – in the lower right corner of the screen. This is the quick settings menu for accessing Phone Hub features and managing your Android phone.

If the Phone Hub icon does not appear in the status bar, enable it in the settings menu. Go to Settings > Connected devices, select your phone and enable Phone Hub.

You can remotely locate your phone, check battery life, and put it on silent using the Phone Hub shortcut. Make sure your devices (Chromebook and phone) are connected to the internet. Issues can delay verification and pairing of both devices. Some features may not be available until your devices are connected to the Internet.

Use and Customize Phone Hub Features on Your Chromebook

Launch your Chromebook’s Settings app, select “Connected Devices” in the sidebar, and make sure your phone is “On”. Then touch your phone to set up Phone Hub features.

“Smart Lock” lets you sign into your Chromebook or Google account without a password or PIN. Wi-Fi Sync transfers your Chromebook’s Wi-Fi networks and settings to your phone and vice versa.

Unlock Your Chromebook Using Smart Lock

Newer generations of Chromebooks come with fingerprint sensors for easy authentication. Entering PINs and passwords to unlock a Chromebook (without fingerprint sensors) can be stressful. Therefore, you should set up Phone Hub and use the “Smart Lock” feature.

Enabling Smart Lock allows you to unlock your Chromebook with your Android phone. You don’t need to enter your Chromebook PIN, password, or fingerprint unlock. We’ll show you how to unlock a Chromebook with an Android phone.

Make sure your phone is unlocked, near your Chromebook, and has Bluetooth turned on. Similarly, make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your Chromebook.

Go to Settings > Connected devices and select your phone.

Alternatively, select or tap the phone icon in the Chromebook’s status bar, and then select the gear icon.

Enable Smart Lock and select the right arrow icon next to Smart Lock.

Select Unlock Device Only to unlock your Chromebook using your Android phone only. The Unlock device and sign in to Google account option allows you to remotely unlock your Chromebook and sign in to Google using your Android phone.

Enter your Google account password if prompted.

You can now unlock your Chromebook with your Android phone. The next step is to “activate” Smart Lock by logging into your Chromebook using your Google account password.

Lock your Chromebook (press Search + L) and select Switch to password on the lock screen.

After turning on and activating Smart Lock, you can unlock your Chromebook with your phone.

Unlock your phone, hold it close to your Chromebook, and tap your profile icon or picture to sign in.

Automatically Share Your Phoneâ€™s Internet with Chromebook

You can connect your Chromebook to the Internet using your phone’s mobile or cellular data network.

Click the phone icon on your Chromebook’s status bar, then select Turn on hotspot.

Or go to Settings > Connected devices and select your phone. Then click Instant tethering, turn it on and select your phone again.

Depending on your mobile carrier, you should receive a notification on your Android phone to allow a hotspot to connect to your Chromebook. Click “Continue” again at the confirmation prompt to continue.

Open the Phone Hub context menu in the Chromebook’s status bar and check the “Enable hotspot” status. If it says Connected, you can continue to use your phone’s Internet on your Chromebook.

View Phone Notifications from Your Chromebook

You can view, read, and dismiss your phone’s notifications on your Chromebook. Unlock your phone, turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and follow these steps to set up notification sync.

Open the Phone Hub menu in the status bar and select the gear icon.

Select “Notifications” or click the “Customize” button in the “Notifications” bar.

Select “Get Started” and follow the instructions on your phone to continue.

Click “Turn on notifications” in the pop-up window on your phone. Turn on Google Play Services and select “Allow” in the pop-up window.

Click Done on your Chromebook to continue.

From now on, notifications from your phone will appear on your Chromebook’s status bar when your phone is locked.

Disconnect Your Chromebook and Phone

You must turn off your Chromebook and Android phone if you are selling or giving away any device. If you won’t be using Phone Hub features for a while, turn off your phone (temporarily).

Open the Phone Hub shortcut in the status bar and tap the gear icon.

Set your phone to Disconnected to temporarily disconnect it from your Chromebook.

This will stop all Phone Hub functions until you turn your device back on.

To permanently turn off your phone, scroll down the page and select “Turn off” in the “Forget phone” line.

Select Disable again upon confirmation.

Explore Phone Hub

With Phone Hub on your devices, you can do so much more. For example, you can send and receive text messages on your Chromebook without picking up the phone. You can also view recent Chrome tabs (opened on your Chromebook) from your phone.

If you’re having trouble using Phone Hub, update your phone and Chromebook operating systems to the latest version. Restarting devices can also fix connection issues.