Tailscale on chromebook

VPN
1

Ive got a hp chromebook 14a g5

I really need to get tailscale working on there. But if i download it from playstore it opens and crashes immediately.

How can i get tailscale working on this chromebook.

Thanks

Also i usually use my phones data with usb tethering to give my chromebook faster internet. Tailscale works on my phone but i dont think tailscale will work across the tethered connection. So i need it working on my chromebook.

2

If you’re comfortable with CLI try viewing/posting logs: journalctl -u tailscaled

3

I’d think you’d need the linux version and not the android version (play store). You’d need to download and install the .deb package via terminal I think.

4

Is this a chromebook you own or something you have for work/school?

What version of chromeOS are you running? (can you post a screenshot of the version number here)?

5

Is this your chromebook, or provided by an institution/employer? Schools/Corps would likely block attempts to install a VPN on their hardware.

6

The android one works correctly on my Lenovo Duet 5
Have you tried rebooting and reinstalling?

7

Another thought, reset your Chromebook to factory in case it’s a software conflict

8

I would have thought so as well, but from Tailscale themselves:

Setting up Tailscale on a Chromebook

You can install Tailscale on a Chromebook from the Google Play Store. It runs as an Android app on your device.

Some policies might prevent you from installing Android apps on a Chromebook. If your device is on a network that prevents installing Android apps, there is currently no alternative to install Tailscale.

  1. From the Launcher, open Play Store.
  2. Locate the Tailscale application and select Install.
  3. Open the Tailscale app and select Get Started. When the Connect request dialog displays, select OK.
  4. Select Log in and sign in using your SSO identity provider.
  5. When the Notifications dialog displays, select Continue.
  6. When the Allow Tailscale to send you notifications? dialog displays, choose whether you want the client to display notifications.

Congratulations! You’ve added your Chromebook to your Tailscale network.

9

Its a chromebook i bought from a school. It isnt managed and i can use other apps on it and even vpns

10

I’m quite surprised, but that’s good to know. Thanks!

11

Did it used to be managed? My youngest went through something similar, and they had just removed accounts, rather than using the powerwash function ‘start over from scratch’ and he had some account access rights issues until I wiped it properly.

12

I sorted it. I rebooted wiped the chromebook and even enabled dev mode and it still didny work.

I then installed a apk from the internet instead of the appsyore and now it works

13

Awesome analysis work! I’ve not used the Android client much, so didn’t even think about version inconsistencies. Which is a miss on my part because I have to do the same thing with the Synologys I have running it.