Chrome OS is “combining” with Android, but what does that mean?

Android and Chrome OS have been developed in parallel for years, but Google is planning to streamline its operating systems. In a recent interview, Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat stated bluntly that Android and Chrome OS are merging. This shift, a long time in the making, could give Google more room to maneuver as it plans for new mobile computing experiences.

In the interview, TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff had other things on his mind, but Samat peppered him with questions about how he uses his Apple devices. "I asked because we’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, and I am very interested in how people are using their laptops these days and what they’re getting done," said Samat.

We don't get back to this point in the remainder of the interview, but it's probably the most interesting thing Samat said. "Combining" can mean many things, but we can certainly speculate. In this case, it might mean the writing is on the wall for Chrome OS as it currently exists.

Chrome OS definitely had a moment during the pandemic as new remote workers and students sought cheap laptops to get them by. Google worked with multiple OEM partners to promote major Chromebook releases, and Chrome OS itself got big updates. Google expanded the support window to eight years, added Phone Hub integration, enhanced desktop management, added the Chromebook Plus certification for high-end devices, and much more.

Things have stagnated since then—we hardly ever hear Google talk about Chrome OS now. In the age of AI, Google still finds time to talk about Android and add new features to the platform, even if they no longer align with new versions. In fact, Android is becoming a bit more like Chrome OS with the addition of desktop multitasking support, which will roll out in the coming months. So Google is making Android into a more capable desktop OS while Chrome OS stays the course. There have been some reports of Chrome OS essentially becoming Android, going beyond Google's stated goal of using parts of the Android tech stack on Chromebooks.

Credit: Scharon Harding

Making Android the base of Google's personal computing efforts could fuel the company's next attempt to compete with the iPad. In the past, it has tried both Android and Chrome OS tablets, neither of which did much to slow Apple's growth. A more capable version of Android with desktop windowing, however, might offer the best of both worlds. Chrome OS already supports Android apps, so the groundwork is there in the Play Store. The rise of Arm-based laptops also makes this a good time to scale up Android. On the other side of the fence, we see Apple bringing more desktop-style features to the iPad. Both companies seem to be converging on a similar experience, but they're coming at it from different directions.

Any major shakeup in Google's software ecosystem could have negative impacts, though. Current Chromebooks are based on reference platforms, which get an impressive 10 years of update support. Many of these laptops are running x86 hardware instead of Arm, and Android's x86 support is spotty. With Arm increasingly important in laptop form factors, how would future updates to these machines work? It has the potential to be a real mess.

Given the vagueness of Google's official statements, it may be a while before the nature of this shift is fully apparent. No matter how Google understands "combining" in this case, things are going to change for Chromebooks.