Features in Technical Preview

Features in Technical Preview are available to use in non-production or limited production environments, and to give customers an opportunity to share feedback. Citrix does not accept support cases for features in technical preview but welcomes feedback for improving them. Citrix might act on feedback based on its severity, criticality, and importance.

List of features in Technical Preview

The following table lists the features in technical preview. These features are request-only preview features. To enable and provide feedback for any of these features, fill out the respective forms.

Title	Available from version	Enablement form (Click the icon)	Feedback form (Click the icon)
Improved in-session toolbar	2405	You can configure the feature
Adaptive Transport	2311
Accessibility and TalkBack	2307	Enablement not required

Improved in-session toolbar

This feature is in technical preview from 2405 release.

Starting with the 2405 version, an enhanced toolbar UI appears when you start a desktop session. The look and feel of the in-session toolbar UI has changed. The toolbar UI is specifically designed to enhance the end user experience by organizing the options in a user-friendly manner.

Old toolbar UI

New toolbar UI

Note:

This feature is disabled by default. To enable the feature, follow the configuration steps. To provide feedback about this feature, click the Podio form.

Configuration

You can enable the new toolbar UI by using the Google Admin Policy.

Google Admin Policy

For managed devices and users, administrators can enable the feature using the Google Admin Policy as follows:

1. Sign in to the Google Admin Policy.
2. Go to Device management > Chrome Management > User Settings.

3. Add the following strings to the policy.txt file under the engine_settings key.

   Note:

   You can apply this configuration on the following as well:

   • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Users and browsers > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.
   • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Kiosks > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.
   • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Managed guest sessions > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.

   The following is an example of JSON data:

   {
       "engine_settings": {
           "ui": {
               "toolbar":
                   { "switchToNewToolbar": true 
                   }
               }
          }
   }
   <!--NeedCopy-->
   

4. Save the changes.

Icons and actions

End users can perform the following actions:

Note:

The icons are visible to the end users only if their organization’s admin has enabled the specific feature.

• Toolbar notch – when you start an app or a desktop session, the toolbar notch appears at the top the screen. When you click the notch, the toolbar appears in the unpinned state. Drag and reposition the toolbar notch onto any side of the screen. After you release the mouse, the notch will automatically align itself with the nearest edge.

• Pin – when you pin it, you can drag and reposition the toolbar onto any side of the screen. After you release the mouse, the notch will automatically align itself with the nearest edge. The advantage of pinning the toolbar is that it doesn’t minimize into a notch after you complete an action that involves toolbar icons.

• Unpin – when you unpin the toolbar, it minimizes into a notch after you complete an action that involves toolbar icons.

• Shortcut keys – you can perform the Ctrl+Alt+Del function with the click of a button. This option facilitates users to sign out, switch users, lock the system, or access the Task Manager.

  

• File transfer – you can upload or download a file between a user device and a session. For more information, see File handling.

  

• Clipboard – you can use the clipboard option to copy and paste plain text and HTML data from the VDA to the local device and back. For more information, see Clipboard.

• Devices – click to open the USB Devices dialog box. Click Add to view the USB devices connected to the local device. The dialog box lists the devices that can be redirected to the session. To redirect the USB devices, select an appropriate device and click Connect. For more information, see USB device redirection.

  Note:

  You can view the Devices icon only if your IT administrator provides access to connect USB devices through policy settings.

• Preference – You can set your preference as follows. The following four options appear:

  

  • Map a drive – the Client Drive Mapping (CDM) feature allows you to access your local folders and drives from Citrix Workspace app. For more information, see File handling.

  • Display Resolution – select the size of the resolution for the session display. By default, the screen resolution is set to Auto-fit screen.

  • Multi-touch mode – click to use the multi-touch mode. You can toggle between Panning and Multi-touch mode. This option is applicable to touch screen devices. For more information, see Touch and mobility support.

  • More – displays preferences about the soft keyboard button and Citrix Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP).

• Help - the following three options appear:

  

  • Gesture Guide – a gesture guide appears with details on how to use finger taps. This option is applicable to touch screen devices.

  • About – displays the current version of the Citrix Workspace app that you are using.

• Minimize – you can minimize the session window.

• Fullscreen – you can switch your screen from windowed to fullscreen. If you have a multi-monitor set-up, the fullscreen button will extend the screen across the set-up and also function as a multi-monitor button.

• Disconnect – the disconnect action will keep the virtual desktop running. Sign out to save energy. For more information, see Sustainability initiative from Citrix Workspace app.

  

Adaptive Transport

This feature is in technical preview from 2311 release.

Starting from the 2311 version, Citrix Workspace app for ChromeOS supports the Adaptive Transport feature.

Adaptive Transport delivers a superior user experience on challenging long-haul connections while maintaining server scalability. This feature delivers a high-quality HDX experience on web-based platforms.

For more information, see the Adaptive transport section in the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops documentation.

Notes:

• This feature is disabled by default.
• This feature is a request‑only preview. To get it enabled in your environment, fill out the Podio form.

System requirements

The following are the requirements for using Adaptive Transport and EDT:

• Control plane

  ◈ Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

  ◈ Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 1912 or later

• Virtual Delivery Agent

  ◈ Version 1912 or later (2203 or later recommended)

  ◈ Version 2012 is the minimum required for using EDT with the Citrix Gateway Service

• StoreFront

  ◈ Version 3.12.x

  ◈ Version 1912.0.x

• Citrix Gateway (ADC)

  ◈ 13.1.17.42 or later (recommended)

  ◈ 13.0.52.24 or later

  ◈ 12.1.56.22 or later

• Firewall (from VDA perspective)

  ◈ UDP 1494 inbound – if session reliability is disabled

  ◈ UDP 2598 inbound – if session reliability is enabled

  ◈ UDP 443 inbound – if you enable VDA SSL for ICA encryption (DTLS)

  ◈ UDP 443 outbound – if using Citrix Gateway Service. For more information, see the Citrix Gateway service documentation.

Administrator configurations

• To configure the HDX Adaptive Transport setting in the Citrix policy, see the Configuration section in the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops documentation.

• You can configure the Adaptive Transport feature in the following way:

  Google Admin Policy

  For managed devices and users, administrators can enable the feature using the Google Admin Policy as follows:

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin Policy.

  2. You can apply this configuration to the following:

     • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Users and browsers > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.
     • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Kiosks > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.
     • Device > Chrome > Apps and extensions > Managed guest sessions > Search for the extension > Policy for extensions.

     The following is an example of JSON data:

     {
     "settings": {
     "Value": {
         "settings_version": "1.0",
                 "engine_settings": {
                     "features": {
                         "edt": {
                             "enabled": true
                                 }
                             }
                         }
                     }
                 }
     }              
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  3. Save the changes.

End user configuration

To enable the adaptive transport feature, enter chrome://flags in the Google Chrome browser address bar. Enable the option Enable Isolated Web Apps as shown in the following screenshot:

Accessibility and TalkBack

This feature is in technical preview from 2307 release.

Citrix Workspace app provides an enhanced user experience with the TalkBack feature. The TalkBack feature helps end users who have difficulty seeing the screen. The narrator reads the screen elements aloud when using the UI.

To use the ChromeOS narrator (ChromeVox), end users must use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Z to turn the narrator on. Use the same key combination to turn the narrator off.

Note:

• By default, this feature is disabled.

Configuration

You can configure the Accessibility feature in one of the following ways:

• Configuration.js
• Google Admin Policy

Configuration.js

To enable the accessibility feature using the configuration.js file, do the following:

1. Locate the configuration.js file in the ChromeApp root folder.

   Notes:

   • Citrix recommends that you back up the configuration.js file before making changes.
   • Citrix recommends editing the configuration.js file only if the Citrix Workspace app for ChromeOS is repackaged for users.
   • Administrator-level credentials are required to edit the configuration.js file.

2. Edit the configuration.js file and add the accessibility attribute. Set the enable attribute to true.

   The following is an example of JSON data:

   'features' :
   {
       'accessibility': {
             'enable': true
           },
   }
   
   <!--NeedCopy-->
   

3. Save the changes.

Google Admin Policy

For managed devices and users, administrators can enable the feature using the Google Admin Policy as follows:

1. Sign in to the Google Admin Policy.
2. Go to Device management > Chrome Management > User Settings.

3. Add the following strings to the policy.txt file under the engine_settings key. Following is an example of JSON data:

   'features' :
   {
       'accessibility': {
             'enable': true
           },
   }
   
   <!--NeedCopy-->
   

4. Save the changes.