Rumors have been moving around suggesting that Google will be merging its two operating systems – Android and Chrome OS – into one.
While this has materialized to some extent, it is not what many expected to see with this supposed merger. During the Google I/O 2016, the search engine giant announced a series of new products to the world and among them was something interesting for those using the company’s Chromebooks.
Chrome OS, which is what powers these Chromebooks, will still be around. However, it now gets more support from Android, with the new update enabling users of the devices to run Android apps on the platform. This is huge for Google especially since the Chrome OS has been criticized for its lack of enough apps.
Android apps to be available on Chrome OS later in 2016
While the official announcement was made by the company this week Thursday, it doesn’t mean the ability will come to play right away. Apparently, users of Chromebooks will have to wait until later this year before they can start using Android apps on these devices. As for developers, the time is now – they can begin optimizing their apps ahead of the official launch.
With the availability of Android apps on Chrome OS, it means users will be able to directly access the Google Play Store right from their Chromebooks, download apps to their desktops and start using them regardless of whether or not they have access to the desktop. While the ability means that Chrome OS users can download and use apps from the Play Store from their desktops, the story is not the same for Chrome browser. All you can be sure about is to access all Play Store apps on Chrome OS. Developers can start optimizing their apps starting next month in a bid to improve experiences with the keyboard and mouse input, among other aspects.
It has taken Google over two years to move this close to unifying the experience of these two operating systems, but it is better late than never. With Chromebooks apparently outselling Macs, it is time Google made this platform its priority as far as its push into the PC world is concerned.