The unification of Android and Chrome OS has been rumored for a while now. A report surfaced back in November last year, saying that it will happen. It was just a rumor back then, though. Earlier this week, however, a Google exec flat-out confirmed that it’s happening. He did not share any additional information about the merger, but he did say to TechRadar that Google is “going to be combining Chrome OS and Android into a single platform.”
That info managed to attract a lot of attention, needless to say. While the company’s exec didn’t reveal much information about the project, a report from last year share one important detail. It seems like Chrome OS will merge into Android, rather than we’ll see the two OS’ combined. In other words, Android will prevail with a number of features from Chrome OS. That seems to be the goal, to make Android the center of everything. This is definitely worth talking more about.
I’ve been using both Android and Chrome OS for a long, long time. Android has been my mobile OS of choice since 2010 and Samsung I5500 Galaxy 5. On the other hand, I’ve used a handful of Chrome OS-powered machines as my main workhorses over the years, that goes for both Chrome OS laptops and Chromeboxes. So, the combination of the two does sound very appealing, though only if done right, of course.
Chrome OS evolved over time, but it never rivaled Windows and Mac
Chrome OS is a solid desktop operating system, with a number of shortcomings over Windows and macOS. It was envisioned as an OS that is strictly cloud-dependent, and it lacked some basic features at first. That changed over time, as Google started adding more and more features to the OS. At one point, Android app support was added, too, which made ChromeOS even more appealing. The implementation was not perfect, but Google did improve it over time.
ChromeOS never reached the popularity of Windows or macOS, but it was accepted to a degree. Education always comes to mind, as there were various initiatives for it to be used by students, mostly in the US. If Google does this right, the combination of the company’s mobile and desktop OS’ could end up being a winning combination. We’re seeing several benefits already, despite the fact we’re not sure how exactly will Google handle this.
The merger won’t happen straight away
While Google did not give us an estimate on when this may happen, don’t expect it to happen by the end of the year or anything like that. A source told Android Authority, back in November last year, that Google is working on “a multi-year project to fully turn Chrome OS into Android.” That part in the report also confirms that ChromeOS will merge into Android. When it comes to the finish line, well, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. The “multi-year project” part does suggest it could take several years before we see this happen.
Android is already an OS that goes way beyond smartphones
While many people think of smartphones when it comes to Android, which is understandable, the Android OS is much more than that. Android is an operating system designed for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, cars, TVs, and soon XR glasses too. So it’s already an operating system that is on so many different devices that people use on a daily basis.
Chrome OS, on the other hand, is designed primarily for laptops. Yes, there are some Chromeboxes out there too, but they make up for a very small percentage of ChromeOS devices compared to Chromebooks. Many of those laptops have touch screens, so you can arguably use Chrome OS as a tablet OS, but Android is way better at that. Chrome OS will presumably give Android the edge in the laptop world as well, offering more firepower to its arsenal.
Streamlined development
Streamlined development is definitely worth mentioning. Once Google combines Android and Chrome OS, it will have to develop only one platform, not two of them. A unified engineering path will allow the company to offer better integration of various features, as it won’t have to develop them for different operating systems. This will likely also speed up the development of said features.
Creating an iPadOS rival is key?
In last year’s report, it was also mentioned that the “end result could be a platform that finally bests the iPad.” That part suggests that Google could be aiming more at iPadOS, rather than Windows or macOS. Many people switched to their iPads as their main work machines. That does make sense, as iPadOS is considered to be a great platform for many people to do work on a larger display, while staying away from laptops along the way. Many ChromeOS features would definitely benefit Android as a whole.
A single ecosystem across the board
A single ecosystem has a number of benefits for users, of course. Having seamless access to features made for smartphones, tablets, and desktop use in a single platform makes the OS very easy to use, seamless. Once again, this needs to be done right in order to be beneficial to users.
The security aspect
Chrome OS is well-known for automatic updates and generally strong security. Google has been pushing that as one of the main features of the platform since the get-go. It remains to be seen how that part will be integrated into Android, as Android works a bit differently when it comes to security updates and the general system. Regular updates are also a thing, but the implementation is different.
Google is already making steps towards the integration
Google is already testing Android’s desktop mode. That goes for both windowing tools and Linux terminal support. Android 16’s desktop mode was shown in action, as the newest version of Android will offer that feature to Pixel users. It remains to be seen how other Android OS iterations (Android skins) will use it, but it’ll be available on Pixels. This way, Google is offering a direct competitor to Samsung’s DeX. That also points in the direction of Chrome OS integration. It will allow Google to build on these steps.
We’ve also shared some exclusive info that a new Pixel Laptop prototype is in the works, and that it will be running Android instead of Chrome OS. That info now makes sense, as the integration is coming, so… there you go. It’s also worth noting that the Chromebook release cycle is not as far as it used to be. Google slowed things down in 2025. That is another hint that Google is working on something bigger, and now we can safely assume what… the integration with Android.
The whole point of all this is to have one OS to rule them all, basically. That’s what Google is aiming for based on everything we’ve seen thus far.
