There has been speculation for a long time that Google might one day combineAndroidandChromeOS, the operating system that powers its wide range ofChromebook laptops. Last year, a report fromAndroid Authorityindicated that Google is currently undertaking a “multi-year project to fully transition ChromeOS into Android.” Although Google never confirmed this at the time, it has now done so.
Sameer Samat, president of Google’s Android ecosystem, confirmed during an interview withTechRadarthat the company is “going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform.” Samat made the comments after inquiring about the reporter’s MacBook, saying he was “interested in how people are using their laptops these days.”
Samat oversees Android’s development and implementation across a wide range of devices, including mobile, wearables, TV, cars, and more, so it seems he may now have laptops under his belt as well.
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There are still a lot of unanswered questions
It could take several years to see this all unfold
While this news about Google officiallycombining ChromeOS with Androidis exciting, there remain many unanswered questions, especially regarding when users can expect to see this fully realized. If last year’s report is any indication, this could take a couple of years to happen.
Additionally, does this mean that in the foreseeable future, we can expect to see Google selling Chromebooks that run a fully-fledged version of Android? I hope so, because considering the size of the Android ecosystem and the millions of apps available, it would make Google’s Chromebook laptops almost as resourceful as a Windows PC or a Mac. While Chromebooks can run a lot of Android apps right now, they’re not compatible with all of them due toChromeOS’s limitations.Android Headlinesreported last year that a Google Pixel Laptop was in development, so that could be what Google is building up to by merging ChromeOS with Android.
There are already signs that Android is adopting more PC-like features. Later this year, Google is expected to release a quarterly update for Android 16 on its Pixel phones, which includes anew desktop modefor multitasking “built on the foundation of Samsung DeX.” This means Pixel users with Android 16 will soon be able to connect their phones to an external display and use their Pixel almost like a PC.
I’m very excited to see the results of the ChromeOS and Android merger, and even with the limited information available, I’m more optimistic about the future of Google’s Chromebooks than I have been since the first one was launched back in 2011.
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