Google's dramatic ChromeOS and Android upgrade plans could change tech forever

Google has long had plans to bring ChromeOS and Android together, the question was always when this was going to happen. However, it now seems momentum is building, with the potential for ChromeOS and Android to finally unify.

In June 2024, Google announced that it was starting to use parts of the Android stack in ChromeOS, saying at the time that it would "simplify engineering tasks" and "accelerate the pace of AI innovation".

Now, in an interview with TechRadar, Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, mentioned that "we're [Google] going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform".

The context for that statement is relevant, because while the interview was about Android, Samat started by asking the interviewer from TechRadar about using a suite of Apple products. There's a hint that this is what Google wants to achieve with a future combined ChromeOS and Android – the sort of seamless experience that Apple users enjoy.

To some extent that already exists, but some Chrome users would say that the platform has been rather static for a while. It's also true that Android has been taking steps towards a desktop experience that caters for larger displays and Android apps better suited to bigger screens.

With greater impetus behind ARM-based hardware (like the Snapdragon X Elite) now powering Windows devices, it could be that all the pieces have fallen into place for Google.

But before we get carried away, it might be worth tempering expectations that there's going to be a huge shift in what you see in ChromeOS.

Following the widespread interest in this single comment from the TechRadar interview, Samat posted on X to reinforce the message that ChromeOS is being built on top of an Android core.

The suggestion here is that ChromeOS will persist as a product, rather than ChromeOS and Chromebooks just becoming Android laptops. Most recently, that's seen the launch of new Chromebook Plus models, which really put a focus on Google's AI skills.

For ChromeOS to really shift its position though, it would need increased developer interest and the ability to compete with Windows and Mac with proper professional desktop apps. Whether that move will come to Chrome remains to be seen, or whether it will continue to focus on being the lightweight, low cost, desktop operating system that it always has been.