After months of anticipation, our first glimpse of Android running on a PC through Google’s forthcoming ChromeOS and Android hybrid platform, known as Aluminium OS, has emerged. Interestingly, it was Google itself that inadvertently revealed this sneak peek.
The discovery was made by 9to5Google, which came across a bug report on Google Issue Tracker related to Chrome’s Incognito tabs. This report included two screen recordings from a device operating on Aluminium OS. Although Google has since restricted access to the report, 9to5Google was able to obtain the videos beforehand. The report also referenced an ALOS software version, which stands for Aluminium OS, and identified the device used as an HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook.
The videos, which have been shared on YouTube by Android Authority, further confirm the presence of Aluminium OS. They indicate the operating system as Android 16, with a build number matching the ALOS version mentioned in the bug report. It appears that a current Chromebook is being utilized to test the new ALOS experience, which Android head Sameer Samat has hinted we will learn more about this year.
The sneak peek into Aluminium OS reveals a blend of familiar features. The taskbar mirrors that of ChromeOS but places the start button centrally, akin to Android. A status bar at the top, reminiscent of Android, displays familiar icons such as battery and Wi-Fi connection. The video offers a brief overview of the Play Store and showcases some split-screen multitasking capabilities, though it stops short of providing an in-depth exploration of the new OS. For a comprehensive look, we may have to wait for an official release from Google.
