This changes everything: Android apps officially coming to Chrome OS
Google I/O made a pretty awesome impression with its announcements of Google Home, the Allo and Duo messaging applications and its commitment to Virtual Reality. A move that might overshadow all of this is what Google saved for Day 2, and spell big changes for both platforms in the future.
Previously, a few Reddit users found some new settings that were hiding in plain site, and a prompt to “Get Started” with the Play Store on your Chromebook. The rumors died down, but the rumblings began about whether Google would announce this feature coming to Chrome OS.
In a press-centric session, Google announced that users would finally be able to download and use your favorite Android apps on Chrome OS devices through integration with the Google Play Store. The entire library of the Play Store will be available on Chrome OS and Chromebooks.
This changes everything.
Suddenly, Chromebooks become a very attractive device with a boat load of content, including paid apps and games for which you’ve already paid. Chromebooks have already surpassed Macs as the 2nd most popular computer platform and this should drive an incredible amount of momentum towards further adoption away from traditional laptops, desktops, and PCs towards the Android ecosystem.
Notice the Play Store icon in the lower left of this Chromebook’s desktop screen? Yup. The entire Google Play Store is just a click away on your Chromebook.
Access to everything from apps and games to multimedia.
This update will be available in the M53 release of Chrome in the developer channel, which we’re told is only a few weeks away. This will eventually be available to all Chromebooks but for now, only 3 Chromebooks are supported.
