Google is expected to delay the launch of AluminiumOS to 2028. Despite earlier public hints about a 2026 launch, documents from the company’s antitrust case reportedly indicate otherwise. These documents also suggest that ChromeOS support will continue through 2034, longer than previously expected.According to a report by The Verge, court testimony shows a gap between Google’s public messaging and internal plans. At the September 2025 Snapdragon Summit, Android chief Sameer Samat said the merger would come “next year”, but testimony in August 2025 clarified that he only said Google “hopes” for a 2026 launch. The plan states that trusted commercial testers will gain access in late 2026, while a broader release for businesses and schools will occur in 2028.In July 2025, Google confirmed the Android-ChromeOS merger. Samat confirmed in an interview at the time that Google was “going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform.”Later, Google renamed the platform Aluminium OS, based on job listings that described it as “a new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system” designed for laptops, tablets, desktops, and other devices. The company is working with Qualcomm on Arm-based PC chips for the platform.
Why Google may have to support ChromeOS beyond 2030
The 2034 ChromeOS timeline is based on business needs and regulatory rules. Various jurisdictions mandate long-term device support, and Google currently promises 10-11 years of updates for new Chromebooks. Google VP John Maletis emphasised that continuity matters because “millions and millions of students, consumers, and employees at work are heavily reliant upon what we’ve done with Chromebooks.”Internal code already refers to the legacy platform as “ChromeOS Classic”, but not all current Chromebooks will be able or eligible for migration to Aluminium OS due to hardware limitations, the report notes. Meanwhile, an Android Authority report also claimed that devices running ChromeOS Classic will continue to receive security updates until their published Auto Update Expiration dates, through the mid-2030s.