Sameer Samat, Google's president for Android ecosystem development, spoke at the Qualcomm summit about the integration of Android and Chrome OS, which will be communicated to users in 2026. Android will remain the primary platform, with its capabilities expanded to work on laptops and PCs. The results of this work are already noticeable in Android versions 15 and 16, which feature a desktop mode and adaptations for larger screens. Ultimately, Chromebook users will be offered familiar Chrome OS features, but translated to utilize Android technologies.
The reasons for migrating to Android technologies include integrating the environment for PCs and laptops with the Android ecosystem, as well as the desire to utilize the AI services of Gemini, which have been actively developed for Android recently, on a wider range of devices. Transitioning to Android will also allow for the use of tools available in Android for virtual and augmented reality on laptops. In the past, Google employees mentioned the desire to enhance competition with the iPad and to use engineering resources more effectively as reasons for merging Android and Chrome OS, avoiding spreading efforts across two operating systems.
By default, Chrome OS applies encryption to disk partitions containing user data (using fscrypt), while system partitions are mounted in read-only mode, verified by a digital signature, and updated atomically (with two root partitions, one for operation and one for updating, which swap places). Output is handled by the Freon graphics stack and the Aura window manager (the project is also developing the Exo on Wayland that operates on top of Aura). The source code is distributed under the Apache 2.0 open-source license. server Exo on Wayland, operating on top of Aura). The source code is licensed under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.
Source: opennet.ru
