I hope Google doesn’t screw up these things when it merges Chrome OS into Android

A Google executive confirmed in an interview that the company is combining Chrome OS and Android. This comes a while after we exclusively reported that Chrome OS will effectively be absorbed into Android. It also comes after Google said it would develop Chrome OS on “large portions of the Android stack.”

This all sounds very interesting on paper, but I have some reservations about such a merger. Here are the things Google can’t afford to screw up when it combines Chrome OS and Android.

One of the best things about Chromebooks is that they get frequent system updates very quickly. By contrast, the vast majority of Android devices take months to get system updates. Most Android brands also offer lengthy update policies for their high-end phones, but several manufacturers still offer short pledges for their cheapest devices.

Google really can’t afford to sacrifice system updates as part of the Chrome OS/Android merger, as this is one of the key selling points of Chromebooks in the first place. I’m not saying Chromebooks are perfect in this regard, but it says a lot that even sub-$250 Chromebooks get lightning-fast updates for years.

Easily the main thing I hate about Chrome for Android is the lack of support for extensions. There are workarounds for this issue, such as using a different Android browser. Nevertheless, you’re generally out of luck with Chrome itself.

It’s therefore high time for Google to bring proper extension support to Chrome on Android. The good news is that Google is working on a special “desktop” version of Chrome for Android that indeed supports extensions. So all signs suggest that this shouldn’t be an issue with Android-powered Chrome OS. However, I still want to see extensions in the standard version of Chrome for Android so I can use these add-ons on my phone. This would also benefit people who want to get work done via their phone’s desktop mode.

Another reason to like Chromebooks is that they generally have a more restrained approach to unwanted apps (bloatware). By contrast, Windows PCs tend to go overboard with Microsoft and third-party nonsense. Android phones vary wildly in terms of bloatware, with Google’s own phones offering few unwanted apps. Meanwhile, the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi, realme, OPPO, and others tend to go overboard.

So we really hope this overhauled Chrome OS doesn’t take cues from Android in this regard. This would be particularly irksome for budget Chromebooks, which usually have limited system resources and can’t afford to be bogged down by pre-installed cruft.

Another long-standing complaint I had about Chrome for Android was that it doesn’t support multiple user profiles. There are some workarounds, like making a cloned version of the Chrome app on Android, but this is still a workaround rather than an official solution.

Google really needs to bring multiple user profiles to Chrome if it actually wants the merged Android/Chrome OS to be successful. After all, loads of people use their laptops for personal and work use. So the ability to switch profiles and keep browser history, passwords, and other info siloed is an important consideration.

Another reason to buy Chromebooks is that even sub-$250 models tend to run somewhat smoothly due to the platform’s relaxed requirements. By contrast, similar Windows PCs are a chugging experience at best or don’t even run Windows 11.

Google has steadily increased Android’s minimum requirements over the years, although it still offers Android Go for cheap phones. Nevertheless, it can’t afford to dramatically raise the requirements for this new Chrome OS version. After all, cheap Chromebooks are extremely popular among schools, enterprise customers, and more. So Google would be shooting itself in the foot by drastically raising requirements and therefore increasing prices.