Unlock Chromebook with your Android phone via Smart Lock. Here’s how!

chromebook-smart-lock-baseline-dhs-asus-

Originally called “Better Together,” Google’s pairing of Android phone and Chromebook allows you to get back into your computer quicker and stay connected thanks to SMS syncing and Instant Tethering. Turning on this connected device feature on your Chromebook is easy, and you should absolutely use it, especially if you’re already using Smart Lock to keep your phone unlocked when it’s on your person or paired to your smartwatch.

Products used in this guide

  • Pretty and practical: Lenovo Chromebook Duet ($250 at Best Buy)
  • Google’s software in a durable shell: Google Pixel 4a ($349 at Amazon)

How to pair your Android phone to your Chromebook

Click the time and battery indicator on the right side of your Chromebook’s dock.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-1.jpg

Click the gear icon to open Settings.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-2.jpg

Under Connected devices, click Set up.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-3.jpg

In the setup window, you can select a single Android phone to link to your Chromebook to a Connected device. If the phone listed under Select a device is not the one you wish to use, click the dropdown menu.
Click your desired phone.

Click Accept & continue.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-4.jpg

Enter the password for your Google account.

Click Done.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-6.jpg

After Google verifies your password, you’ll get a completion screen. Click Done to exit the Connected device setup window.

migrate-to-chrome-connected-phone-7.jpg

With your phone and Chromebook connected, here’s how Smart Lock will work the next time you wake your computer up from sleep mode.

How to unlock a computer with Smart Lock

Unlock your paired Android smartphone. If you use Smart Lock on your phone, ensure that it hasn’t timed out and re-locked due to inactivity or turning off a connected smartwatch/Bluetooth speaker.
Open your Chromebook’s lid.
On the login screen, look at the lock next to your name. The lock will turn green when the Chromebook recognizes your connected phone is unlocked.

Once the lock turns green, tap your profile picture to unlock the Chromebook.

chromebook-smart-lock-talbet-mode-c434.j

If the lock turns yellow, the Chromebook either couldn’t find your connected phone or thinks your connected phone is locked. In either event, you’ll have to input your password the old-fashioned way.

Make your Chromebook feel like home

While any Chromebook — or even any Chromebox — can take advantage of this Smart Lock feature, if you’re still relatively new to the Chrome ecosystem, one of the best Chromebooks on the market makes for a perfect intro device that you can use as a backup laptop or a couch companion tablet: the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. The Duet might not be as powerful as say the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 or the Lenovo Flex 5, but it’s got enough for light work, homework, and for your Reddit browsing while on the couch this weekend. It also comes with a detachable keyboard and kickstand cover, which you can ditch if you want to just sit around all day reading e-books and comics on that bright 10.1-inch 1080p screen.

Practical and pretty

Lenovo Chromebook Duet Tablet + Kickstand

lenovo-chromebook-duet-render-with-keybo

  • $250 at Best Buy (128GB)
  • $249 at Walmart (64GB)
  • $290 at Lenovo (64GB)

Part tablet, part laptop, the Duet is all-awesome.

The Duet finally gives us the kind of Google tablet we’ve wanted for a decade. If you’ve been wanting a Chromebook to test the Chrome OS waters with, the Duet is a perfect companion device before you decide whether to buy one as your primary computer.

If you’re reading Android Central, chances are you already have an awesome Android phone — and any modern Android phone will work with your Chromebook for Smart Lock — but if you don’t, get almost a flagship experience without spending flagship money with the Google Pixel 4a. Google’s latest features and quick updates, not to mention one of the best camera experiences on any phone today, make this $350 phone an absolute steal. Oh, and unlike most recent phones, the 4a is a phone you can comfortably use one-handed.

Google’s best for less

Google Pixel 4a

pixel-4a-render-front.jpg

$349 at Amazon
$350 at Best Buy
$349 at B&H

A core Pixel experience — and camera — for hundreds less

If you’re new to Android, this phone is the best place to start. Between a cleaner software experience, best-in-class camera, and three years of swift updates, why would you buy anything else? If you’re on AT&T, this is also one of the only unlocked phones to support Wi-Fi Calling.

Related posts

Latest posts

News Weekly: Alphabet’s earnings soar, new Zenfone Ultra, and more

This week we got a glimpse of how Alphabet faired this recent quarter, Zenfone 12 Ultra launches, Nothing teased yet

How to Watch Super Bowl LIX Free on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

Super Bowl LIX kicks off this Sunday, February 9. In the U.S., the game will be streaming for free in

2025 is going to be another big year for commercial moon missions

As soon as late February, a lunar lander will depart from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on its way to the

2025 is going to be another big year for commercial moon missions

As soon as late February, a lunar lander will depart from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on its way to the

You can officially download the TikTok app again on Android phones

TikTok is still absent from the Google Play Store. But the company is now letting users download the app officially on their Android phones.

I like the Galaxy S25 Ultra far more than I expected to

Samsung’s newest flagship has finally landed in stores and it would be easy to look at the as nothing more than an iterative upgrade that brings a few small upgrades to the table. However, as Andy covered in our , to do so would be to do a disservice to the overall experience. While reviewing […]

This adorable Noctua cooler completely transformed my gaming PC

I invested $60 in this tiny Noctua cooler, and it's made my small form factor gaming PC so much better.

Samsung’s ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge might get a monster camera

As per fresh leak, Galaxy S25 Edge will match the Galaxy S25 Ultra by serving a 200-megapixel camera, despite being the thinnest phone in Samsung's portfolio.

Spigen just accidentally leaked iPhone SE 4 renders

Case manufacturer Spigen has uploaded renders of the iPhone 4 SE (inside a case) to its website, and these renders line up with earlier leaks.

Fiio’s BTR13 is a budget DAC that lets you easily upgrade your phone audio

The BTR13 brings upgraded audio while still retaining the same focus on value.