During a performance at the Qualcomm summit, Samir Samat, President of Google for the development of an ecosystem associated with Android, announced the merger of the Android and Chrome OS platforms. This merger is set to bring results to users in 2026, with Android remaining as the main platform. The capabilities of Android will be expanded to include features for working on laptops and PCs. Recent releases of Android 15 and 16 already show signs of this expansion, with the introduction of a desktop mode and adaptation for devices with large screens. Ultimately, Chromebook users will be able to access Chrome OS capabilities translated into Android technologies.
One of the reasons for the migration to Android technology is the creation of an environment for PCs and laptops within the Android ecosystem, as well as the desire to utilize the GMINI AI services actively being developed for Android. The transition to Android will also enable the use of virtual and augmented reality tools available on Android devices. Google employees have previously mentioned increasing competition with the iPad and optimizing engineering resources as motivations for merging Android and Chrome OS.
The Chrome OS operating system is similar to atomically updated Linux distributions, using a Linux core with specific patches, system manager Upstart, and assembly tools Ebuild/Portage from Gentoo Linux. While Chrome OS is focused on web browser usage and web applications instead of traditional programs, it includes a full multi-window interface, desktop, and taskbar. Virtual machines are used to run Linux and Android applications, launched through a hypervisor crosvm based on Kvm.
Encryption of disk sections with user data is used by default on Chrome OS, utilizing fscrypt.