After years of speculation and slow convergence, Google has finally confirmed what many have long anticipated: Android and ChromeOS are officially on a path to becoming a single operating system. In an interview with TechRadar, Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, said: “We’re going to be combining Chrome OS and Android into a single platform.”
That’s the clearest confirmation yet that Google is serious about merging its two operating systems. ChromeOS — which powers Chromebook laptops — has always played well with Android apps, but the underlying stacks have remained distinct. That’s now changing. In fact, Google announced in mid-2024 that ChromeOS development would start relying more heavily on the Android software stack.
Samat hinted at broader ambitions beyond phones and tablets: “I’m interested in how people are using their laptops these days,” he said, possibly teasing a next-gen, Android-based notebook OS designed to rival the iPad and even macOS.
According to Android Authority, the ChromeOS-to-Android migration began last year, and we’re already seeing the signs: Android is getting a robust desktop mode, resizable windows, and much better external display support — all staples of desktop computing.
The benefits of unification are obvious: faster updates, tighter ecosystem integration, and one codebase to rule them all — especially for tablets, where Google still lags behind Apple’s iPadOS in terms of polish and app experience. But it’s also a move filled with déjà vu. Google’s been down this road before — rumors of a merger date back to 2015, and whispers of “Andromeda,” a unified platform, circulated even earlier.
Hardware like the Pixel Tablet, Chromebook Plus series, and the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro XL are already blurring the lines between device categories. Merging Android and ChromeOS may finally give Google the cohesive platform it needs to compete with Apple across the board.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
