Android and Chrome OS merger won't happen, says Android senior VP

Google VP of Android, Chrome OS and Play Hiroshi Lockheimer has quashed rumors of an Android and Chrome OS merger. Speaking on the All About Android podcast, Lockheimer was asked about the differences between Chrome OS and Android, which drew him to the subject of merging the two systems.

“For us, there’s no point in merging [Chrome OS and Android].” He said, adding, “They’re both successful. We just want to make sure that both sides benefit from each other.”

Lockheimer discussed aspects of the platforms which have now been shared, such as bringing Android apps to Chrome OS, and introducing Chrome OS’s seamless updates to Android Nougat, but denied the claims that the platforms would become one. “You’ll see a lot more of that happening, where we’re sort of cross-pollinating,” he said. “But not, sort of, a merge.”

Rumors from last year indicated that Google would unify its Android and Chrome OS systems, and speculation as recent as September suggested that Google was prototyping some form of Android and Chrome OS hybrid software (code-named ‘Andromeda’). Whether they become one or system or not, it seems likely that they will become increasingly similar.

Do you think Android and Chome OS should merge? Or are they better as two separate systems? Give us your thoughts in the comments.