Future of ChromeOS and Android Integration: Key Questions and Concerns

[Artem Pozharov]

Happy New Year to everyone! May it bring success to the development and advancement of ChromeOS, and allow developers to avoid burnout while achieving both career growth and personal fulfillment.

There has been a lot of speculation online about a potential transition of ChromeOS to the Android stack. Since the early 2010s, Google has expressed its ambition to make ChromeOS and Android more integrated. In practice, this has involved the use of container-based virtualization, which later evolved into paravirtualization. However, full unification has not occurred: ChromeOS remains a system based on Gentoo GNU/Linux, albeit heavily modified, while Android is a Linux distribution without GNU components. It’s clear that Android receives more attention and resources due to its greater popularity and profitability.

In the summer of 2024, Google announced plans to incorporate Android system components into ChromeOS to accelerate the introduction of AI capabilities and separate browser updates from OS updates. This announcement sparked a wave of rumors, including reports about the development of a Pixel Laptop on the Android platform. Notably, Google has not released its own Chromebooks for quite some time, delegating this to partners, unlike its approach with Android devices.

This has raised several important questions for many users and analysts, including myself:

2. Potential Transition to an Android-Based ChromeOS

   • Will ChromeOS become an Android-based distribution with a desktop-adapted interface (similar to the now-defunct RemixOS/JideOS, but officially supported by Google)?

   • If so, will current Chromebooks be able to upgrade to this unified system?

   • Will device management for enterprises mirror the approach used for Android mobile devices?

   • Will there be an option to use the system without a Google account, as is possible on some Android devices?

   • Will the system remain open-source, and will the changes be incorporated into AOSP?

   • What is the future of ChromeOS Flex? Will it be discontinued, or can users expect support for Android apps?

   • What will happen to ARCVM? In an Android-based system, it might become an unnecessary and resource-heavy layer for running official Google Play apps. Could it retain relevance only for running third-party apps with enhanced security?

   • What will happen to the current ChromeOS interface? How easily can it be ported to Android? Could this pose a significant technical challenge given potential dependencies on low-level components?

   • What is the fate of the full-featured Chrome browser with extensions and developer tools? Many users are skeptical about the adaptation of Google applications for tablet and laptop form factors, especially since all the tools for this exist online, but few developers, even within Google, invest effort into adapting applications beyond phones.

3. Alternative Scenario: ChromeOS Does Not Fully Transition to Android

   • If ChromeOS is not transitioning fully to Android, how should these developments be interpreted?

   • Could the changes be largely imperceptible to users (similar to the integration of the Android Bluetooth stack into ChromeOS)?

   • Might current Chromebooks simply be supported until their end-of-life (EOL), receiving only browser updates and minor enhancements, while Google focuses on promoting Android Desktop for new devices?

I believe that such transparency is critical for both individual and corporate users. People need to be able to plan their IT budgets and digital strategies. While making definitive statements requires courage, providing clarity will help reinforce trust in Google.

[Mike Frysinger]

the party line can be found here:

https://blog.chromium.org/2024/06/building-faster-smarter-chromebook.html

as the blog post says (i added some emphasis):

These improvements in the tech stack are starting now but won’t be ready for consumers for quite some time.

considering the scale of the project, a lot of details are still being figured out, and will remain in flux for quite a while.  so there aren't specific answers to your queries because they haven't been decided.  there's ongoing thoughts, plans, debates, mocks, testing, etc... but nothing to announce or show because it'd be kind of pointless, if not down right confusing, if things look drastically different from when they actually ship in the future.  Google isn't a startup looking for VC injections to keep it afloat with vaporware demos.

wrt "where's the code", as you can see from the news article, the point of this work is to continue converging.  Android has already adopted tech from CrOS over the years (e.g. the OS update system), and CrOS from Android (e.g. BT stacks).  which is to say, we aren't forking Android, so if a project/component is in AOSP now, it will continue to be in AOSP.

wrt CrOS Flex, some news outlets have already reached out and asked these questions and been given official answers.  please see this as an example:

https://chromeunboxed.com/no-google-is-not-abandoning-chromeos-flex/

in general, you won't really get official answers on this topic on this mailing list, or much engagement, for a multitude of reasons.  if you have product questions, please see this page.

my self preservation instinct is prob less developed than others.

-mike

[Artem Pozharov]

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the clarification and for sharing the relevant links. The ongoing efforts to integrate components between ChromeOS and Android, as detailed in the blog post and other sources, certainly reflect a deliberate and thoughtful approach by Google.

It seems plausible that Google might adopt a strategy similar to Apple's ecosystem. For instance, iOS and macOS share a common foundation but provide distinct user experiences. Similarly, Safari on macOS and iOS leverages shared technologies under the hood, yet the builds are tailored to their respective environments. This nuanced integration has allowed Apple to maintain functional consistency while optimizing each platform for its unique use case.

If ChromeOS does migrate closer to the Android platform, I imagine the approach will follow a similar philosophy: not just layering a desktop launcher over Android but implementing deeper, more seamless integration. This could result in a unified yet differentiated system that takes advantage of shared technologies while preserving the strengths of ChromeOS for productivity and enterprise users.

While it's understandable that many details are still in flux, and official answers may not be forthcoming on this mailing list, I appreciate the direction being shared in broader communications. Transparency, even in small steps, goes a long way in helping users and businesses adapt their strategies and expectations accordingly.

Thanks again for your input and insights.

Best regards,
Artem Pozharov

суббота, 4 января 2025 г. в 21:05:45 UTC+1, Mike Frysinger: