Google has officially confirmed that it is in the process of merging Chrome OS with Android. This marks the first time the company has publicly acknowledged what had previously only been reported as internal plans.
Sameer Samat, President of the Android ecosystem at Google, casually revealed the news in a conversation with a TechRadar journalist. During a discussion about device preferences, Samat mentioned, “We’re going to be combining Chrome OS and Android into a single platform,” indicating Google’s intention to streamline its operating systems into one unified solution.
This development follows earlier reports from November 2024, which suggested that Google would be integrating Chrome OS into Android, rather than creating a completely new operating system from scratch. Now, it appears those early reports were on target.
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The timing of the announcement coincides with the rollout of Android 16, which introduces a suite of features designed with larger screens and desktop-style functionality in mind. These include a full desktop mode, enhanced window management, improved support for external displays, and better app scalability—tools that seem to lay the groundwork for the forthcoming unified platform.
Samat’s interest in how users interact with laptops hints at Google’s broader vision: creating a platform that is versatile across mobile, tablet, and traditional laptop form factors. By bridging the gap between Chrome OS’s lightweight desktop environment and Android’s extensive app ecosystem, Google seems poised to offer a more cohesive experience across devices.
