Google’s Android for PC: First Look Leaked
▼ Summary
– Google’s upcoming ChromeOS/Android hybrid, Aluminium OS, was leaked via screen recordings in a public bug report.
– The leak, captured by 9to5Google, showed the OS running on an HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook and listed as Android 16.
– The interface is a clear mashup, featuring a centered start button on a ChromeOS-like taskbar and an Android-style top status bar.
– The brief videos showed elements like the Play Store and split-screen multitasking, but did not provide a comprehensive look.
– Google has since restricted access to the report, and a full reveal is expected later this year as previously indicated.
The first glimpse of Google’s upcoming operating system, codenamed Aluminium OS, has surfaced online, revealing a significant step toward merging Android and ChromeOS on personal computers. This leak provides an early look at the interface and functionality of a platform that could reshape the computing experience for many users. The details emerged from an inadvertently published bug report, offering a rare preview before Google restricted access to the files.
A report on the Google Issue Tracker related to Chrome Incognito tabs included two screen recordings captured from a device running this new software. While the report is now locked, the videos were retrieved and analyzed. The bug tracker specifically mentioned an ALOS software version, which aligns with the known abbreviation for Aluminium OS, and indicated the test device was an HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook. This strongly suggests Google is using existing Chromebook hardware to prototype and test the forthcoming platform.
The shared screen recordings offer further validation. They clearly display the operating system as Android 16 and show a build number matching the ALOS identifier from the bug report. This visual evidence confirms the development is active and appears to be a Chromebook repurposed to run the experimental Aluminium OS. This testing phase follows earlier statements from Android executive Sameer Samat, who indicated more information about this initiative would arrive within the year.
The interface shown in the leak presents a clear blend of both parent systems. The taskbar at the bottom takes inspiration from ChromeOS but positions the start button centrally, mirroring a common Android layout. A status bar sits at the top of the screen, adopting Android’s style over ChromeOS’s, complete with recognizable icons for battery life, Wi-Fi strength, and other system indicators. The brief video clips also showcase the Google Play Store in operation and demonstrate split-screen multitasking capabilities. While this leak confirms the project’s progress, it only scratches the surface of the platform’s full potential. A comprehensive overview of features and design philosophy will likely require an official introduction from Google itself.
(Source: The Verge)
