Google's Chrome OS may soon become very attractive for users, as they may soon get access to Android apps from Google Play Store.
Reddit user 'TheWiseYoda' recently claimed that the developer version of Chrome offers an option to run Android apps on it. According to this Reddit user, Chromebooks operating on version 51 of Chrome OS displayed a checkbox in their settings menu that offers an option to "Enable Android apps to run your Chromebook." However, the option vanishes so fast that it is virtually impossible to click on it, The Verge reported.
Searching the source code further revealed a message suggesting that "over a million apps and games on Google Play" will be available on Chromebooks soon. In fact, the message is dubbed 'ARC OPT IN,' which possibly refers to App Runtime from Chrome (ARC) project and Google is said to be working on it for quite some time now.
ARC enables users to run Android apps including Vine, Evernote, and Duolingo on Chrome OS. It was initially released to a small group of developers in 2014. Last April, Google launched a Chrome app packager that allowed any user to run their Android apps on Windows, Mac, Linux as well as Chrome OS.
Currently, the precise version of Chrome OS where this feature emerges is solely available in the Developer Channel. Users who have succeeded in enabling the feature claim that it simply displays a tutorial before closing automatically. Apparently, Google is currently working on the feature as the Mountain View-based tech titan prepares itself for the I/O developers' conference scheduled for May 18-20 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, The Next Web reported.
According to some experts, access to Android apps may prove to be a gigantic step forward for Chromebooks as well as the Chrome OS platform since it would allow users to access numerous apps and, at the same time, expand the performance of their devices. Moreover, the arrival of Google Play Store on Chrome OS may result in the end of the Chrome Web Store, which hosts Web apps, extensions as well as themes for the platform.
Watch the video on "How to run Android apps on Chromebook" below: