Google confirms it’s ‘combining’ Chrome OS and Android into a single platform

We exclusively reported back in November that Google was working to merge Chrome OS into Android. Now, a Google executive has effectively confirmed the company’s intentions to combine the two platforms.

Sameer Samat, president of Android ecosystem at Google, asked a TechRadar journalist why they were using an Apple Watch, iPhone, and MacBook:

I asked because we’re going to be combining Chrome OS 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.

This might be the first time that Google has publicly acknowledged plans to merge the two platforms. The executive didn’t give any more details about the initiative, but we previously reported that Google plans to migrate Chrome OS over to Android rather than combining the two to create an all-new platform.

It’s also interesting to hear Samat ask people about their laptop usage in the context of this initiative. This suggests that Google is still looking for ways to improve this project ahead of its release.

Google’s plan to merge Chrome OS into Android also comes as Android itself gains several features for large displays. These additions include a proper desktop mode, desktop windowing, improved external display management features, and improved app adaptability.

What do readers think of Google’s plans, though? At the time, almost half of all polled readers told us that the company should merge Chrome OS into Android. However, a sizeable portion of readers felt that it was a bad move or that Google couldn’t be trusted to pull it off. Some readers also questioned whether this project could affect Chromebook updates and dramatically increase Chromebook hardware requirements. So here’s hoping these two issues in particular are adequately addressed.