Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Chrome OS will soon start using large portions of Android’s tech stack.
- The move is meant to accelerate the pace at which AI features can roll out to Chromebooks.
- The changes are being made now, but the updates won’t be ready for a while.
The Chrome OS you know today is about to go through a major change. In the future, the software that powers Chromebooks will be much more like Android.
Google announced in a new blog post that Chrome OS is about to go through a transformation. Specifically, the tech giant says that the OS will soon start “embracing portions of the Android stack, like the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks.”
This won’t be the Chrome and Android teams’ first rodeo. The two groups have worked together before to make it possible to run Android apps on Chromebooks. They also worked in tandem to bring Android’s Bluetooth tech to Chrome OS.
There are plenty of reasons why Google would be interested in going down this route. For example, closer integration would make Android handsets more compatible with Chromebooks. However, it appears the main reason for the move is to accelerate the delivery of AI features.
As the Mountain View-based firm explains, having Chrome OS lean more on Android’s tech stack will make it easier to bring new AI features to Chromebooks. The company adds that along with the change, it wants to maintain the “security, consistent look and feel, and extensive management capabilities” that users are acquainted with.
Google is working on the updates starting today, but notes that users won’t see the changes for a while. The tech giant claims that when everything is ready, the transition will be seamless.
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