Jun 2, 2022

Got a message that I would no longer get updates and to buy newer device. Now no Wi-Fi.

It seems that Chromebooks have an expiration date. We are seniors with limited computer experience and after receiving a last update message today that included telling us to buy a newer Chromebook. Is there an expiration date on Chrombooks? This is likely to add greatly to our landfills as so many schools use Chrombooks. Maybe they need to rethink their expenditures. We were considering replacing two older computers (much older than our Chromebook) with new Chromebooks but I think that this has definitely made the deciison for us.

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All Replies (3)

Benjamin

Product Expert Alumni

Jun 2, 2022

Chromebooks don't "expire" they just don't receive any more updates. Your WiFi issue sounds like a router problem, reboot your router and try again

Last edited Jun 2, 2022

DennyL

Diamond Product Expert

ChromeOS enthusiast

Jun 2, 2022

Sharon Hellman,

Chromebooks don't have an expiration date but they will stop getting updates to the operating system (chromeOS) and Chrome browser, as Ben mentioned. You can check when your updates will stop, see the help page linked below for how to do that:

Check when your Chromebook's updates will stop - Chromebook Help
https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9367166

Your chromeOS and built-in Chrome browser will no longer get updates but you could enable the LaCros support flag, see below:

Lacros support

Support for the experimental lacros-chrome browser. Please note that the first restart can take some time to setup lacros-chrome. Please DO NOT attempt to turn off the device during the restart. – ChromeOS

chrome://flags/#lacros-support

LaCrOS (Linux And ChRome OS) is the new Linux Chrome browser and it will continue to get updates on your device.

You could also enable the LaCrOS flags shown below to ensure that LaCrOS is the only browser in use so you know you're using it and not the older built-in Chrome browser:

Lacros as the primary browser

Use Lacros-chrome as the primary web browser on ChromeOS. This flag is ignored if Lacros support is disabled. – ChromeOS

chrome://flags/#lacros-primary

Lacros is the only browser
Use Lacros-chrome as the only web browser on ChromeOS. This flag is ignored if Lacros support or primary is disabled. – ChromeOS
chrome://flags/#lacros-only

Hope this helps,

~DennyL

Last edited Jun 7, 2022

Joe Ellett

Diamond Product Expert

Jun 3, 2022

Chromebooks get automatic updates for 6+ years from when the Chromebooks were first made available. Were you gifted an old used Chromebook or did you get a Chromebook from eBay or something similar?