VMware Horizon Client for Chrome 2309 Release Notes

VMware Horizon Client for Chrome 2309 | 26 OCT 2023 Check for additions and updates to these release notes.

This page contains release-related information for Horizon Client for Chrome 2309, which enables users to connect to and use remote desktops and published applications using a Chromebook, a Chromebox, or a device running ChromeOS Flex.

This page is revised periodically as needed with information about the release. Check back regularly for additions and updates to these release notes.

What's New

Horizon Client for Chrome 2309 includes the following new features.

• Security enhancements for client login

  If an administrator configures a fixed duration for SSO credentials to be cached, and that duration is exceeded, Horizon Client prompts for authentication when the user starts a new desktop or application. Horizon Client then re-caches the credentials.

• Automatically quit Chrome client after a session disconnected in Kiosk mode

  Users operating in Kiosk mode might have pre-configured the Chrome client as an auto-launch app with default servers and applicationId or desktopId. Such users will be immediately transitioned to their selected desktop or application after logging out or disconnecting from a desktop/application, without the need to interact with the server or navigate through the desktops and applications list page.

• Force enable privacy mode for end users

  You can now enable privacy mode for Horizon Cloud on Azure next-gen. Use this setting to force enable the privacy mode for end users. When this setting is enabled, users must authenticate to login. The user is then directed to the browser logout page when the Horizon client is closed. This setting is disabled when not configured.

• Support Native Printer redirection

  You can now select printers from the remote desktops and print what you want seamlessly. Printers that do not support PDF printing cannot support native printer redirection on the Chrome client.

• Support H264 option for Chrome Client

  The Horizon client for Chrome includes a new policy called enableH264 to specify whether the rendering method uses H.264 video mode. This option will only appear in the settings window if you are using a normal display with a ratio greater than 100% and the administrator has not deactivated the feature.

• Improvements for Real-time audio-video performance

  You can now use the Opus codec to improve the audio performance and enable Discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode to reduce the audio traffic when the participant is silent. The reduction in audio traffic occurs as the audio packet is not transmitted.

For information about new remote desktop features, see the VMware Horizon 8 2309 Release Notes.

Before You Begin

• Horizon Client for Chrome requires Chrome OS 75 or later.

• Horizon Client for Chrome is supported with the latest maintenance release of the following deployment types:

  • VMware Horizon 8 version 2006 and later

  • VMware Horizon 7 version 7.13 and later

  • VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen

  • Horizon Cloud in Microsoft Azure

• Install and upgrade Horizon Client for Chrome just as you do any other Chrome app. You can get the latest version of the app from the Chrome Web Store.

• For system requirements and installation instructions, see the Horizon Client for Chrome Guide.

Limitations

The following features are not supported when you use this release of Horizon Client for Chrome with a VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen deployment:

• VMware Workspace ONE integration

• Windows 365 and reverse connect transport

• Unified Access Gateway failover

• Resumption of remote applications

• Kiosk mode for the client

Resolved Issues

There are no major issue resolutions to report in this release.

Known Issues

The following sections describe known issues related to the operation and performance of Horizon Client for Chrome.

For known issues specific to the use of Horizon Client in a VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen environment, see the VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen Release Notes.

• Printer property 'Un-Collated' is not taking effect in Win11 VDI and RDSH 2019/2022 under Printer Redirection.

  Workaround: None.

• Chrome Client fails to add default XPS printer driver in a Windows 11 virtual desktop

  After you install a Windows 11 agent and launch the desktop on a Chrome client, no client printers are added when you check the printer list.

  Workaround: In Programs and Features ->Turn Windows features on or off, select Microsoft XPS Document Writer to turn on. Make sure two drivers are available:

  • Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer and the driver is Microsoft XPS Document Writer v4

  • Printer Microsoft Print to PDF and the driver is Microsoft Print To PDF

• Display and Multimedia
• Smart Card Authentication

Display and Multimedia

• For a specific type of Chromebook, Acer ARM Chromebook Spin 513, when the Chrome Client enables RTAV H.264 codec, the VDI camera video stream is fuzzy.

• The Media Optimization for Microsoft Teams feature becomes unavailable after a network interruption occurs on the Horizon Client session.

  Workaround: For details, see VMware Knowledge Base (KB) article 85761.

• After dragging certain apps to a small monitor, the app might have a strange boundary on Horizon Client for Chrome.

  This issue only appears when Chromebook has a very high DPI or an extended monitor has a small resolution. An example condition would be Chromebook with 4K (3840) screen in 213% DPI scale + small extended monitor (1920) in 100%. An example app could be a calculator that is not resizable.

  Workaround: You can make the following changes:

  • Enable High Resolution.

  • Change to a larger extended monitor. A 2560 screen will resolve the issue in most of cases.

  • For Chromebook, set the display scale to lower DPI (smaller font and icon).

• H.264 decoding does not work in this release.

  The setting to enable H.264 decoding has been removed from the Horizon Client user interface.

  Workaround: None.

• During a Teams audio call with the Media Optimization for Microsoft Teams feature enabled, no alert message appears when the user speaks with the microphone muted.

  Workaround: None.

• When sharing the screen during a Teams video call with the Media Optimization for Microsoft Teams feature enabled, if the client user locks and then unlocks the Chrome OS, the screen share and outgoing video stop working.

  Workaround: None.

• When the client user minimizes the remote desktop window during a Teams screen-sharing session with the Media Optimization for Microsoft Teams feature enabled, the screen-share contents turn black.

  Workaround: None.

Smart Card Authentication

• You may see the following problems after authenticating with a smart card:

  • If you enter an incorrect PIN, log off from the server, and then immediately log in to the server again, you are prompted for Active Directory authentication.

  • If you log off from a session and then log in to the server again, the server fails to authenticate with smart card authentication.

  • If your published application session is idle and times out, and you unplug and then reinsert your smart card reader, you are not prompted for your PIN when you try to connect to a published application.

  Workaround: Log off or restart the Chromebook and log in with the smart card again.

• If you enter an incorrect PIN during smart card authentication, Charismathics does not present any direct feedback in the dialog box.

  Workaround: This problem is a third-party issue. For more information, go to https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7014689.

Documentation

Horizon Client for Chrome documentation is in the VMware Horizon Documentation Center.

Internationalization

The user interface and documentation for Horizon Client for Chrome are available in English, Japanese, French, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

Support Contact Information

To receive support, access VMware Customer Connect. To learn more about the support policies, see Support Policies.

For information on filing a support request in Customer Connect and via Cloud Services Portal, see the VMware knowledge base article at https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2006985.