In a recent interview, Sameer Samat, Google’s president of Android ecosystem development, revealed the company’s intention to merge Chrome OS and Android into a single unified platform. Google wants to understand better how users interact with their devices, particularly laptops, and then build cross-device functionality based on real-world usage patterns.
This is the first time a Google executive has publicly acknowledged plans for such a direction. 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.
Google is already working on the merger. The company is adapting Chrome OS to run on components derived from the Android platform, including a shared Linux kernel and system frameworks. At the same time, Android has been evolving to support desktop-like experiences, including improved multi-window capabilities and optimized layouts for larger screens.
Chrome OS, which has long been based on a customized Linux kernel and Gentoo-based tools, is positioned as a secure and lightweight architecture. It uses full-disk encryption, read-only system partitions, and atomic updates for better security and reliability. The platform currently relies on the Freon graphics stack and Aura window manager. However, the latter has a newer alternative, Exo, a Wayland-based compositor, which is a work-in-progress as of this writing.
So in the future we may see a single universal OS that will have real capabilities to run on both mobile devices and PCs.
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MICROSOFT TROD THIS PATH AND FAILED – DID THEY NOT –