Future of ChromeOS in doubt as Android rumours return

'Chromebook' may also be discontinued in favour of Pixel branding

Life

Image: Getty via Dennis

Once again, stories are circulating that Google wants to completely replace ChromeOS, the system software for Chromebooks, with Android. Google had previously indicated that ChromeOS will “become more like Android,” but gave no details at the time.

According to Android Authority, Google is working on “a multi-year project to completely transform ChromeOS to Android. ChromeOS is already largely Android, for example, Chromebooks can run Android apps, although not all of them are optimised for the big screen.

The tech giant would like to equip “future Chromebooks” with the new software, although it is not clear if that name will be retained. Earlier this week, rumors circulated that Google is working on a Pixel laptop.

It would not be the first time these kinds of plans have surfaced. For years, Google has been working on the Fuchsia operating system that should replace Android and Chrome OS on both desktop and mobile. Fuchsia was first shown on Google’s Pixelbook hardware. It ended up running only on Nest Hub smart displays.

Google this week released the Android 16 Developer Preview 1, a fledgling version of the operating system due in Q2 2025.

As with the previous version, these appear to be minor changes, such as the addition of “Audio sharing,” which lets you share the music you play on your smartphone with someone else. Android 16 also better shows which apps have used privacy-sensitive features like the microphone, your location and the camera. ‘Health Connect’ lets you create a profile with information about your health and fitness data.

Google is also adding an “experimental color mode” to Android 16, the exact purpose of which is not yet entirely clear.

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