If admins opt to enable Android apps, they can throw open the floodgates to the whole Play Store or enforce an apps whitelist.Ĭhrome OS now will have two app stores: Google Play and the Chrome Web Store, but the Chrome team said nothing was going to happen to the Chrome Web Store-it will continue to house Chrome themes and extensions. For companies, administrators will need to explicitly enable the feature in order for their users to access Android apps, so organizations that want to keep their Chromebooks simple can still do so. Google is trying to keep these users happy, too, with lots of control over the feature for administrators. Google is promising Android app controls with 'multiple levels of granularity' for Chrome OS administrators. Schools and businesses in particular value Chrome OS specifically because it does not have traditional apps-with no apps, there is nothing evil for users to install that will mess something up.

Of course, not everyone will be welcoming of Android apps on Chrome OS. We were told a full-scale rollout to the Chrome OS stable channel should happen sometime in September or October. This will roll out to touch-enabled Chromebooks first in the 'M53 Dev' version, with support for non-touch devices coming soon after. Starting in early June, developer channel builds of Chrome OS will see a pop-up message allowing them to opt-in to Google Play and Android app compatibility.

Google is aiming for a unified, seamless user experience. Notifications and in-line replies should all work. Android apps live in native Chrome OS windows, making them look like part of the OS. Chrome OS has picked up some Android tricks too-sharing and intent systems should work fine, even from one type of app or website to another. The goal is an 'It just works' solution, with zero effort from developers required to get their Android app up and running. In advance of the show, we were able to sit down with members of the Chrome OS team and get a better idea of exactly what Chrome OS users are in for. More than 1.5 million apps will come to a platform that before today was 'just a browser,' and Android and Chrome OS take yet another step closer together. And it's not just a small subset of apps the entire Google Play Store is coming to Chrome OS. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-It's really happening.

App store chrome os