Google is set to merge its mobile operating system, Android, with ChromeOS, the platform currently powering its Chromebook laptops, according to the head of Android.
Sameer Samat, the president of Google’s Android ecosystem, shared insights with TechRadar, stating that the company intends to unify Chrome OS and Android into a single platform. Samat, who oversees the work of Android across diverse devices including mobile phones, wearables, extended reality, TV, and automobiles, expressed his interest in current laptop usage trends, hinting at potential new developments.
This statement serves as one of the most concrete acknowledgments to date of a transition that has been speculated about for several months. In November 2024, Android Authority reported that Google was in the process of shifting ChromeOS over to Android to better compete with Apple’s iPad. This integration may already be underway, following Google’s announcement last June that portions of the Android stack would become integral to ChromeOS. Additionally, Chromebooks currently possess the capability to run several Android applications.
This year, Android is also inching closer to ChromeOS, introducing features like a desktop mode, resizable windows, and enhanced external display support.
Combining these two operating systems appears to be a logical move for Google, aiming to accelerate feature advancements and enhance tablet performance, an area where both systems currently trail Apple’s iPadOS. Despite past discussions on merging the platforms occurring over a decade ago, with Technology News suggesting in 2013 that unifying them was sensible, this change seems to be gradually approaching fruition.
