Why it matters to you
If you’ve been pining for Andromeda, Google’s mashup of Chrome OS and Android, then you can stop waiting. It’s reportedly been canceled.
If you’ve been chomping at the bit for a new notebook that combines the benefits of Google’s Chrome OS and Android into a unified operating system, then chances are your hopes were pinned on a project code-named Andromeda. Unfortunately, it appear your waiting has been in vain.
Andromeda has been rumored for a while now to be Google’s effort to create a unified OS that would compete with Microsoft’s Windows 10 — which already runs on numerous device types — and Apple’s continued efforts to make MacOS more like iOS. According to an editor at 9to5Google, however, Andromeda has been canceled.
Techradar picked up the rumor via Stephen Hall’s twitter account:
So yeah, got a second source on this now: Andromeda was shelved. Some of the work being moved to other things, though. Trying to learn more.
— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) June 4, 2017
Google was apparently hard at work on not only Andromeda, but also hardware to run the new OS. Tablets and the notebook code-named “Bison” were two possibilities, and apparently those are making their way into the dustbin as well.
Fuchsia, a separate project that you are all aware of by now, is not dead and effectively serves as Andromeda's spritual successor.
— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) June 5, 2017
All isn’t lost, however, as Google does appear to be replacing Andromeda with another project, code-named “Fuchsia.” Unlike Andromeda, which was a sort of fusion of Chrome OS and Android, Fuchsia is looking more like a brand-new OS that Google is building from scratch. It’s also highly experimental and so probably isn’t going to be released anytime soon. When it does arrive, it will likely look a lot like Windows 10, powering a host of devices from smartphones to tablet to notebooks.
In the meantime, Chrome OS still awaits the widespread release of Android apps on a number of Chromebooks, providing something of a stopgap measure. Google might not be in too much of a hurry to release something new, given that Chromebook is so successful that it’s pushed Microsoft to release Windows 10 S, which is aimed at more competitive, lower-cost, and easier to manage machines. But if you really wanted a Chrome OS and Android mashup, it looks like you’re going to be disappointed.