Google running two different, seemingly independent operating systems might be a weird strategy for some people. But now, it looks like Google might actually merge Android and ChromeOS, the operating system running on Chromebooks, at some point down the road.

Google has officially confirmed it is merging its two distinct operating systems, Android and ChromeOS, into a single, unified platform. This is something that has been speculated as a possible move from Google for a really long time, but it wasn’t really confirmed until now. The confirmation came from Sameer Samat, the president of Google’s Android ecosystem, in a recent interview. In an answer, he casually dropped that “I asked because we’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, and I am very interested in how people are using their laptops these days and what they’re getting done.”

Android is used in a wide variety of hardware, except laptops. While Android can be used on a desktop computer or laptop—and it’s actually easier to do so these days thanks to Android 16—Google has traditionally preferred to stick to ChromeOS when it comes to laptops, even as tablets use Android. ChromeOS has support for Android apps, which has helped to bridge the gap, but it’s still not exactly the same operating system at all. Now, it looks like Google will finally commit to converging both platforms more than just simple interoperability.

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The company has been laying the groundwork for this transition for some time. Last year, Google announced that it would begin building ChromeOS on larger portions of the same technology that underpins Android. Plus, as we mentioned before, both platforms have been trying to get closer to each other for a while. Not only does ChromeOS have Android app support, but Android 16 now has a full-fledged desktop mode, made in collaboration with Samsung. We didn’t have official confirmation that a full-on merger was coming down the road, though, and now we have it.

The company has not provided a specific timeline for the full rollout of this unified platform. In fact, we don’t have anything other than this statement. But the fact that we have a statement at all is already huge news. We’ll have to wait a lot before this actually goes from a statement to something tangible. And we’re not sure how deep of an integration it will be. Will Google just do a single operating system for both phones and Chromebooks? Will both OSes continue to exist separately but under a common base? Those are questions I, or any other website, can’t answer now—but I certainly hope we have answers soon.

Source: Engadget