Arrr matey, could yer Android phone be runnin' ChromeOS in the future? Google's demo be a treasure map to follow!
2024-05-15
Arrr mateys, there be talk of Google havin' a secret showin' of ChromeOS runnin' on an Android contraption. Could it be they be plottin' some grand scheme for the future? Only time will tell, ye scallywags!
A recent report has revealed that Google held a private demonstration that showed off a tailored version of ChromeOS, its operating system for Chromebooks, running on an Android device. Unnamed sources spoke with Android Authority and shared that Google hosted a demo of a specially built Chromium OS, given the codename ‘ferrochrome,’ showing this off to other companies. The custom build was run in a virtual machine on a Pixel 8, and while this Android smartphone was used as the hardware, its screen wasn't. The OS was projected to an external display, made possible by a recent development for the Pixel 8 that enables it to connect to an external display.This demonstration is evidence that Google has the capability to run ChromeOS in Android, but there's no word from Google that it has any plans to merge these two platforms. It also doesn't mean that the average Android device user will be able to swap over to ChromeOS. In the past, Google attempted to make a hybrid of Android and ChromeOS with the codename Andromeda, but that work was shelved. Android Authority created its own ‘ferrochrome’ custom ChromeOS that it was able to run using a virtual machine on a Pixel 7 Pro, confirming that it's possible.
For now, we can only wait and see if Google is going to explore this further. It’s already interesting to see Android Authority demonstrate this is possible, and that the tools to do this already exist if developers want to attempt it themselves.