It has been suggested for a number of months, but it is now confirmed: Google will integrate the two operating systems, Android and ChromeOS, into a unified platform.
This announcement was made during a Techradar interview with Sameer Samat, who is in charge of Google’s Android ecosystem division. Samat initially inquired about the interviewer’s usage patterns with Apple products and provided the following response as explanation:
I brought that up because we’re planning to unify ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, so I’m quite curious about how individuals utilize their laptops these days and what activities they engage in.
Technical foundations have already been established
Given the ongoing speculation, this announcement should not be surprising. Even in the absence of rumors, Google developers had rolled out several features in recent months that indicated a closer integration between the two operating systems:
- In June 2024, Google announced that ChromeOS would incorporate “significant portions of the Android stack” in the future, including the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks.
- The two operating systems already share a mutual Linux foundation, albeit with differing architectures. Still, numerous Android applications can run smoothly on ChromeOS.
The groundwork for the merger is already visible in Android 16. The latest update introduces a comprehensive desktop mode that enhances window management and provides better support for external displays. Users can operate apps in freely movable windows that function similarly to those in Windows.
Appropriately, speculation arose last year that Google aims to broaden the Pixel lineup with a new laptop. At that time, Android was cited as a potential operating system for “Codename Snowy.”
Nonetheless, the timeline for both the Pixel laptop and the announced amalgamation of ChromeOS and Android remains unspecified. Samat has not disclosed when the merger is expected to occur.
The article Google confirms: Android and ChromeOS will be merged into one operating system first appeared on Global Esport News.