Google doesn’t exactly have a reputation for secrecy anymore, at least on the level of companies like Apple. It’s revealing minor features and products constantly, and has all but given up on keeping new Pixel devices under wraps, to the point that it does teaser announcements ahead of its press events to keep the rumor mill under control. If you’re going to get excited about Google tech, it’s probably because you’re already onboard with what’s happening.
There are exceptions to this, as you might imagine for a business with billions of dollars at stake. One of the biggest is its plans to unify Android and ChromeOS, creating a new operating system for PCs — potentially challenging Windows and macOS, or at least Apple’s iPad. I went searching the internet for what we know about the new OS, including how high Google’s aims are, and what might happen to Chromebooks once it launches.
The story of Aluminium OS so far
Breaking out of the ChromeOS niche
It’s no surprise, perhaps, that Google has lost interest in ChromeOS. While Chromebooks continue to have a place in schools and businesses, they’ve never really expanded far beyond that, despite being cheaper than Windows laptops. The problem is twofold — ChromeOS devices are often useless when they’re offline, and the platform has always been niche, unable to compete with the flexibility and support of its rivals. It was a big deal when Google first gave it the ability to run Android apps.
Early rumors that Google wanted to combine Android and ChromeOS first emerged about a year ago. The company finally confirmed those plans in July 2025, disclosing them to TechRadar. It made a formal announcement at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in September, revealing that it was cooperating with Qualcomm on a platform that splices mobile and desktop computing, with Google’s usual focus on AI. Google’s Senior VP of Devices and Services, Rick Osterloh, made the PC connection explicit, saying that the two companies were “building together a common technical foundation for our products on PCs and desktop computing systems.”
The codename “Aluminium” recently appeared in a (since-pulled) job listing uncovered by Android Authority, with Google looking to hire a “Senior Product Manager, Android, Laptop and Tablets.” The choice of the British spelling of aluminum might seem strange for an American company — but it’s likely a reference to Chromium, the open-source project that serves as the foundation for both ChromeOS and the Chrome browser. The listing sometimes shortens Aluminium to “ALOS.”
The job calls for managing a collection of ChromeOS and ALOS devices in multiple form factors — “laptops, detachables, tablets, and boxes” — as well as several tiers, “Chromebook, Chromebook Plus, AL Entry, AL Mass Premium, and AL Premium.” Together, these statements suggest that Google wants to move beyond the budget laptop realm most Chromebooks have been relegated to. There are higher-end Chromebooks, but these are rare, and have never gained much traction.
Not much else is known for sure, but the job listing did talk about transitioning “from ChromeOS to Aluminium with business continuity in the future,” suggesting that Google wants to phase out ChromeOS, but continue supporting business customers that can’t afford to switch dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of devices.
What does this mean for Chromebooks?
Not necessarily the end of the road
A lot of unknowns remain, including what Aluminium’s final name will be. The company is unlikely to stick with that codename in a final product, and Android Authority claims that Google engineers are now referring to the old software as “ChromeOS Classic” or “non-Aluminium ChromeOS,” which could mean that the ChromeOS branding will survive — just with very different functionality. Another possibility is that Aluminium will become “Android Desktop,” but that may be yet more shorthand, and would isk confusion with Android 16’s Desktop Mode.
Whatever it’s called, there’s a chance that some existing Chromebooks might be able to upgrade, as Aluminium is reportedly being tested on modest MediaTek Kompanio 520 and 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake processors. They would also need to meet RAM and storage requirements, however.
The greatest barrier could be AI. Google has stated that Gemini will be integral to Aluminium, which older processors might not be able to handle well or with full functionality. Many mobile and desktop processors now have architecture specifically designed to accelerate AI. I should say that Google has been able to bring a limited form of the tech to older devices like Nest speakers and smart displays, so compatibility could ultimately depend on how advanced the tech’s new incarnation is supposed to be. Simply talking to Gemini Live or accessing web content would be trivial — but on-device processing based on local files and graphics rendering might bog down machines that weren’t built to do much more than run web apps.
Can Google challenge Windows and Mac?
The real target may be iPadOS
Another major question is how serious Google is about competing in the PC space. Android is already more popular and widespread than ChromeOS, but the company faces an uphill battle to convince people that the platform can deliver the same functionality as a Mac or Windows PC. Indeed Google has struggled to get developers to produce basic tablet versions of Android apps, much less software that can compete with Windows apps based on high-end CPUs and GPUs. Someone picking up an Android PC might be disappointed if they can’t run the latest Call of Duty or the most advanced version of Adobe Photoshop.
One Android Authority source claims that Google’s real goal is to compete with the iPad. That product continues to control over 50% of the tablet market, according to Statcounter, and in recent years, Apple has finally begun warming up to the idea that it needs to offer laptop-like capabilities. The iPad Air and Pro now use the same M-series chips found in MacBooks. iPadOS 26, meanwhile, sports Mac-like multitasking, including the ability to open more windows and position them anywhere.
Perhaps more crucially, there are enough high-quality iPadOS apps that iPads are a staple of many schools and businesses, the market that Chromebooks have traditionally done best in. If Google can spawn a platform that matches iPads in functionality while undercutting Apple on price, it can make serious inroads that might eventually result in the breakout the company has always wanted.
When is Aluminium OS going to launch?
Don’t hold your breath
Google’s official window for the product is sometime in 2026. That could, hypothetically, mean an announcement as soon as January, but given the significance of bringing Android to PCs, the news will probably arrive alongside one of the company’s bigger press events. One possibility is its I/O developer conference in May, which always begins with a lengthy keynote hosted by Google executives. If Google skips that milestone, it could end up waiting until late summer or fall, when it makes a big splash with new Pixel devices.
The first Android PCs could hit shelves in time for the 2026 holiday season, assuming there aren’t any delays.
A virtual certainty is that the software will ship in sync with Android 17, which should be in beta by May and finished by the fall. If so, the first Android PCs could hit shelves in time for the 2026 holiday season, assuming there aren’t any delays. There’s also the chance that Google will simply reveal its plans next year, leaving hardware releases for 2027.
