Introduction

There’s no google chrome on arm64 linux (ie. Asahi, Raspberry Pi). Chromium doesn’t sync anymore with Google.

Prerequisites

You need a Google account and access to Google Cloud Console. All steps should use the same Google account you want to sync with.

Step 1: Join Google Groups

Join both of these groups with your Google account:

• chromium-dev — you can set it to no email notifications
• google-browser-signin-testaccounts — it will appear empty/private, that’s normal, just join

These group memberships are required for the Chrome Sync API to work with your account.

Step 2: Set Up Google Cloud Credentials

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Create a new project (or use an existing one)
3. Go to APIs & Services > Library, search for Chrome Sync API and enable it
4. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials

OAuth Client ID & Secret

1. Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID
2. If prompted, set up the consent screen first:
   • Choose External
   • Fill in an app name (e.g. “chromium-sync”) and your email
   • Skip all other optional fields
3. For application type, choose TVs and Limited Input devices or Desktop app
4. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

API Key (optional)

An API key is not strictly required for sync to work. If you want one:

1. Click Create Credentials > API Key
2. Copy the generated key (starts with AIza...)
3. No special restrictions need to be set

Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Create a systemd environment config file so the variables persist across reboots:

mkdir -p ~/.config/environment.d
nano ~/.config/environment.d/chromium-sync.conf

Add the following (API key line is optional, so just skip it):

GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
GOOGLE_DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Save the file and reboot (or log out and back in).

Step 4: Verify & Sign In

After rebooting, verify the variables are set:

printenv | grep -i google

You should see your variables listed. Then launch Chromium — a “Turn on sync” button should appear in the top right. Click it and sign in with your Google account.

Note: It can take up to a few hours after enabling the Chrome Sync API in Google Cloud before it fully works. If sign-in fails initially, wait and try again.

Troubleshooting

No “Turn on sync” button appearing

• Check that your environment variables are set correctly with printenv | grep -i google
• Make sure the file is saved as *.conf inside ~/.config/environment.d/
• Try rebooting rather than just logging out

“Cannot turn Sync On for invalid account” error

• Make sure you joined both Google Groups with the same account you’re syncing with
• Wait a few hours for group membership to propagate and try again

Sync button appears but fails after login

• Double-check that the Chrome Sync API is enabled in your Google Cloud project
• Make sure you are logged into Google Cloud with the same account as the Google Groups