Google's possible merging of Android and Chrome OS, or dropping Chromebook's operating system have been rumored for years. This year at I/O 2016 the Alphabet subsidiary announced that it will share the top features of the two platforms. Google reported at the developer conference that Android N will include seamless updates and Chrome OS will get Android apps and games.
News about the new feature for the next version of Android had not been rumored or leaked. It was thus a big surprise.
Google pointed out that the new Android N functionality was inspired by Chromebook updates. The next version of Android will install all system updates for Android phones and tablets in the background.
On the second day of I/O 2016 the search giant also announced some other big news: Chrome OS will get Android apps and games.
This was a major change because Chrome OS will not just get Android's 1.5 million games and apps. It will also include the entire Google Play store.
Google is taking small steps to combine Chrome OS/Android. Adding a new update system to Android and app store to Chrome turns a run-of-the-mill mobile/PC OS into a more powerful one.
Both of the two new features will be launched to Android/Chrome OS later this year, according to VentureBeat.
Google seems to be shortening the distance between Android and Chrome OS instead of merging them. It might still take that step later. However, the company has kept its promise that the two platforms would not merge in 2016.
In the future Chrome might be unnecessary. However, until then major changes would be required including Android becoming powerful enough to run on laptops.
In related news, Motorola has reported that its Moto G4 Plus phone will include Android Marshmallow and can be upgraded to Android N and Android O, according to Phone Arena. This could be a risky move. Google has not shared what features will be included in Android O, and in the past Motorola has sometimes skipped updates.
Google's first version of Android OS named after a dessert was Cupcake. Since then names of Android versions have included Eclair, Froyo (frozen yogurt), Honeycomb, and KitKat. Nutella seems to be a popular choice for Android N.
Here are reactions to Android apps for Chrome OS: