Google Plans to Merge Android and ChromeOS Into a Single Platform

In a major shift that could reshape the future of computing, Google has confirmed plans to merge its two flagship operating systems, Android and ChromeOS, into a unified platform.

Sameer Samat, president of Google’s Android ecosystem, told TechRadar that the company is actively working to combine Android, which powers billions of mobile devices, with ChromeOS, the operating system used in Google’s Chromebook laptops.

“We’re going to be combining Chrome OS and Android into a single platform,” Samat said, adding that he’s particularly interested in how users interact with laptops today.

The remarks offer the most concrete confirmation yet of a strategic overhaul that has long been rumored.

Back in November 2024, Android Authority reported that Google was beginning to migrate ChromeOS over to Android, with the goal of strengthening its position in the tablet and hybrid computing market which is a space dominated by Apple’s iPad.

Some of the groundwork is already visible. ChromeOS has recently been rebuilt using significant parts of the Android framework, and many Chromebooks already support Android apps.

On the flip side, Android itself is gaining features previously unique to desktop systems, such as resizable windows, a dedicated desktop mode, and better support for external monitors, signs of convergence that point toward a more seamless user experience.

For Google, the benefits of merging its platforms are clear. A unified OS could accelerate software development, streamline hardware compatibility, and bolster the company’s tablet strategy, a segment where both Android and ChromeOS have historically lagged behind Apple’s polished iPadOS ecosystem.

Still, the path to unification has been slow. Similar reports of a merger date back to at least 2015, when Google was said to be internally exploring ways to bridge the two systems.

In 2013, The Verge noted that it “makes perfect sense to bring them together.”

Yet for over a decade, technical, strategic, and organizational hurdles have delayed any such convergence.

This time, however, the stars may finally be aligning. With Google’s leadership now speaking openly about the plan, and with both platforms already sharing more code and features than ever before, the long-anticipated merger appears closer to becoming a reality.

Whether it will succeed in challenging Apple’s dominance in the tablet-laptop hybrid space remains to be seen but one thing is clear: Google is betting big on a unified future.