Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem Development at Google, confirmed at the Qualcomm Summit that efforts to merge Android and Chrome OS will deliver notable results to users by 2026. Android will serve as the foundational platform, with expanded capabilities tailored for laptops and PCs. Early bits of this convergence already appear in Android 15 and 16, which introduce desktop mode and optimizations for larger screens.
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Google cites several strategic reasons for the transition. The integration aims to unify the PC and laptop experience within the broader Android ecosystem. The company also intends to extend Gemini AI services to a wider array of devices.
Additionally, the move will enable laptops to access Android’s virtual and mixed reality options. This will strength competitive positioning against the iPad.
Previously, internal leaks in late 2024 suggested that Google was considering such integration to better compete with platforms like the iPad and to optimize developments of its own operating systems.
Technical Foundations of Chrome OS
Chrome OS employs a Linux kernel with custom patches and utilizes the Upstart system manager alongside Gentoo Linux’s ebuild/portage build tools.
While its user interface centers on a web browser and web applications, the platform supports a full multi-window desktop environment with a taskbar.
Linux and Android apps run within virtual machines powered by the CrosVM hypervisor, which builds on KVM.
OS Security
Chrome OS implements several security measures. User data partitions are encrypted via fscrypt, and system partitions remain read-only, digitally signed, and updated atomically through a dual-root partition scheme.
Graphic subsystem
- The display subsystem relies on the Freon graphics stack and the Aura window manager.
- Complementing this, the Exo compositor—based on Wayland and layered atop Aura—supports modern graphical applications. Google distributes the Chrome OS source code under the Apache 2.0 license.
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