Introducing FydeOS v22

As winter draws to a close, we're happy to bring you FydeOS v22: Radiant Anatomy. This release brings the underlying system from Chromium OS r138 to r144, improving stability while also introducing a few new features. We hope it makes your day-to-day FydeOS experience feel smoother and more seamless.

Here are the key highlights of this release:

Quick Share (aka Nearby Share)

You can quickly send and receive files, photos, and links between nearby devices — no cables or third-party tools required. During the transfer, you'll see the target device, confirm the request, and get clear progress and completion feedback, then open or save the content right away. Note: Quick Share works with devices that implement the Quick Share protocol (e.g., some Android devices and ChromeOS devices). Availability may vary by device model and region.

Qwant search engine as a default

FydeOS's raison d'être was to give you, the User, a uniform, privacy-focused computing experience regardless of your hardware. And if the above sounds remotely French - well, good spot!

We recently decided to further our commitment to privacy beyond our comfort zone - the OS and underlying hardware. To deliver a privacy-first computing experience, we decided to partner with Qwant, a French search engine, that will deliver the world to you as it is, not distorted by the pushy ads or opaque ranking mechanisms.

Qwant's service can be neatly summarised by one number - "0"

• Zero tracking of your searches

• Zero advertising tracking

• Zero sale of your personal data

You can always switch to a different search engine if you already have a favorite. However, we encourage you to learn more about Qwant's philosophy and hopefully you fall in love with their service too. You can also learn more in our blog, which will feature the partnership in the January 2026 issue.

Countries where Qwant is available include: US, Canada, France, UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland

Split View in Browser

Instead of juggling multiple browser windows, you can split a single tab into two independent, resizable panes to browse side by side. The two split pages are combined into a single tab group, keeping your workspace tidy. Split View lets you resize the panes, swap left and right, open links from one pane directly into the other, and detach the split panes back into individual tabs — perfect for comparing content, referencing docs, and multitasking efficiently.

Fydetab Duo Updates

• Kernel update: Upgraded from vendor kernel 6.1 from Rockchip to Google ChromiumOS kernel 6.12. All Fydetab Duo drivers have been fully ported and validated, bringing in the upstream Linux 6.12 improvements in both features and security fixes.

• Graphics stack migration: Switched from the proprietary ARM Mali binary stack to a fully open-source stack: Panthor kernel driver + Mesa 25 (OpenGL ES). Chromium now runs on Mesa 25 (OpenGL ES 3.1), delivering an approximately 100% uplift in MotionMark graphics performance.

• Vulkan 1.4 (testing/experimental): Android and the Linux subsystem share the same level of Vulkan support.

  • Note: For the Linux subsystem, enable chrome://flags#crostini-gpu-support.

📌 Important Notes

• FydeOS v22+: Steam for Chromium OS (Borealis) is discontinued by Google since 1 Jan 2026, so we have removed it 🥲

• Intel Modern Variant: Android subsystem data backup/restore is currently not supported.

• FydeOS v18+: "Developer mode" is disabled by default. For details on this and system integrity changes, see our FAQ and Knowledge Base.

• FydeOS v17+: Introduced different editions; data exchange between them is not supported. Learn more here. See updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

• Laptop Sleep Issue: If your laptop doesn't wake after closing the lid (potential kernel issue), try disabling "Sleep when lid is closed" under Settings -> Device -> Power, or use this command-line solution.

• OTA Updates & GApps: Updating FydeOS after installing GApps can cause issues (e.g., Play Store unusable, "Device not certified" errors, Android subsystem failure). Please refer to this document for troubleshooting.

🍓 Raspberry Pi Notes

• Boot Splash: The FydeOS splash animation is not visible in the default KMS display mode (full hardware acceleration). You'll see firmware text, a brief black screen, then the FydeOS setup/desktop.

• 4K Monitors: Output to 4K monitors is not yet supported in KMS mode.

• Display Compatibility: If you see the Raspberry Pi boot logo but not FydeOS, your monitor might be incompatible with KMS mode. You can switch to fake-kms mode using this guide.

• First Login Lag: Expect temporary slowness after the first login as the system performs initial setup (syncing, app installs). Performance will improve after a few minutes. This only happens once.

• Android App Stability: Running multiple Android apps simultaneously might crash the Android subsystem. If this occurs, wait a few seconds and relaunch the apps.

• Hibernation: System hibernation is not supported due to Raspberry Pi kernel limitations. Sleep is disabled by default to prevent issues.

💻 Surface Notes

• Surface Go 3 Only: The commercially available Surface Go 3 comes in two main versions — one powered by a Pentium processor and the other by a Core i3 processor. The existing FydeOS for You: Surface Go 3 is optimised only for the Pentium version, so the Core i3 variant of the Microsoft Surface Go 3 may experience compatibility issues.

• Touch Limitations: Touch functionality might be limited due to the experimental driver state, especially under high system load.

• Known Limitations:

  • Cameras: Partial support (Not working on Surface Pro 7/7+/8 and Surface Go 4).

  • PIN Login: Not available after a system reboot.

  • Deep Sleep: Not supported (except for Surface Go).

We hope you enjoy the new features and improvements in FydeOS v22: Radiant Anatomy. As always, we welcome your feedback as we continue to refine the FydeOS experience. If you like this update or have anything else that you wish to talk to us or other FydeOS users, please join our Telegram Group, Discord server or come by to the FydeOS Community.

We believe FydeOS will eventually become a prominent platform; all the digital tasks you ever need to accomplish could be done nicely and effectively with FydeOS. A thousand miles begins with a single step; we hope to see you with every other step in the future.