Google: Not all Chromebooks will receive Aluminium OS

For months, it has been clear that Google will merge Android and ChromeOS. According to Google, the first notebooks based on the new operating system, referred to as “Aluminium OS,” are expected to be released this year. In the course of the transition to the new operating system, the question arises: what will happen to ChromeOS and Chromebooks? John Maletis, Vice President of Product Management for ChromeOS, has the answer. In an Ask Me Anything (AMA) post on the Chromeunboxed blog, Maletis stated, among other things, that ChromeOS is not ending anytime soon and not all current Chromebooks will receive an update to Aluminium OS.

ChromeOS is not landing on the “Google Graveyard”

As Chromeunboxed writes, users speculate that Google might bury the current ChromeOS in the notorious Google graveyard with the release of Aluminium OS. However, this is not the case: the sheer size of ChromeOS makes an “exit” impossible. Devices with ChromeOS are used by “millions and millions of students, consumers, and workers.” These people are “heavily reliant on what we've achieved with Chromebooks.” Therefore, “continuity of use and devices, not to mention business continuity, is really important.”

In the short to medium term, Google does not seem to be planning an end to ChromeOS. This was also hinted at in a now-deleted job posting that suggested Google would run ChromeOS and Aluminium OS in parallel: According to the posting, there will be “a portfolio of ChromeOS and Aluminium OS devices for commercial use in all form factors” in the future.

According to the job advertisement, Google plans to phase out ChromeOS in the long term. To achieve this, the team is to develop and maintain a product roadmap that “addresses the outcomes to be delivered and the strategy by which Google transitions from ChromeOS to Aluminium OS, while ensuring business continuity going forward.”

According to Maletis, Google will maintain the 10-year update promise made in 2023 for Chromebooks. “As we go through this evolution, we are committed to supporting these devices for 10 years from the platform's market launch,” he said. This means that despite the extensive transition, Google will continue to support current hardware.

Not all Chromebooks will receive Aluminium OS

Maletis also addresses whether existing Chromebooks can be updated to the new Android-based platform. His answer: “It depends.”

According to his explanations, the migration from ChromeOS to Aluminium OS “is not possible on all devices due to technical specifications.” “But for many of the newer devices, we will work to enable customers to perform a migration,” the Google manager said. He also stated that the support period will be maintained, regardless of whether the devices can receive the new operating system or not.

Google has not yet given a firm date for the launch of Aluminium OS. The manufacturer has only confirmed that it is scheduled to start in 2026. By Google I/O 2026 at the latest, which is expected to take place in May, there should be further details and possible first product announcements.

(afl)