Soon, your Chromebook will make a fun sound when you plug it in

Kyle Bradshaw | Nov 15 2022 - 9:26 am PT

Google is preparing to make ChromeOS a bit more delightful by playing a sound effect when you plug your Chromebook into power.

On most Android devices, when you plug in your phone/tablet or place it on a wireless charging pad, you’ll hear a small chime letting you know that it’s actually charging. It’s a small detail, but it’s a quick and useful way to be sure everything is connected correctly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set a phone down on a charging pad that wasn’t actually plugged in.

Meanwhile, Chromebooks — which in some ways have begun to serve the same roles as an Android tablet would — have only had the simple battery icon to indicate whether they’re charging or unplugged. This is about to change, as Google has begun adding some sound effects for your Chromebook’s power/battery level.

The first three sound effects are nearly identical, consisting primarily of a warm synth sound accompanied by a shimmering rattle. Depending on how low your battery is, a slightly different version will play. If your battery is between 16% and 80% full, there’s an added “swoop” sound at the beginning, while plugging in when your battery is at 15% or lower adds a higher pitch swoop.

The final Chromebook sound effect addition is a low battery (<15%) warning, a trio of notes that should sound familiar to anyone who has let their Android phone get severely low on power. It doesn’t seem to be the exact same sound effect, but it’s quite similar.

Charging a near-full battery

Charging a medium-full battery

Charging a low battery

Low battery warning

As one would hope, these new charging/battery sound effects for ChromeOS won’t play if your Chromebook is set to Do Not Disturb mode. For now, though, in this early stage of development, there’s no sign of any other way to silence these sound effects, such as a toggle in the Settings app. Considering the feature is only just now entering development, it likely won’t launch until ChromeOS version 110, scheduled to release in February 2023.