Aluminum: Why Google’s Android launch for PC may be messy and controversial

“finally.” That was my first reaction when I heard that Google was combining Android and ChromeOS into one operating system. Android a long time ago Struggled on discsand ChromeOS always seemed like a very simple alternative to lure me away from Windows and Mac. So it was interesting to see that last week The first glimpse of Google’s aluminum operating system has been leakedand hearing that it may already be selected For Intel Panther Lake laptop They are called “ruby” and “sapphire” High-end tablet.

But the future may not come as quickly as you think, and it may be chaotic when it gets here. According to previously unreported court documents in Antitrust case in Google searchAluminum won’t see a full release until 2028.

Although the head of Google’s Android division, Samir Samat, He said last September That the combination of Android and Chrome is “something we’re very excited about for next year” — that is, 2026 — documents that Aluminum won’t be ready to shake up the laptop world so quickly.

In the copy I got Edge From August 2025, Samat said that Google is abstract Hopes To launch aluminum in 2026 — “We’re working hard on it,” he said — and Google’s own lawyers seem less confident. In documents submitted by Google to the court, the “fastest path” for the new OS to market includes submitting it to “trusted commercial testers” in late 2026 before a full release in 2028. While Chromebooks currently dominate schools, the document notes that the “enterprise and education sectors” in particular will get aluminum in 2028, not 2026.

“Even when the new operating system powering Chromebooks becomes available, it will not be compatible with all existing Chromebooks, requiring Google to maintain current ChromeOS until at least 2033 to meet its 10-year support commitment to existing users,” Google’s lawyers added.

We already know that ChromeOS won’t disappear from laptops right away. Head of ChromeOS at Google, John Maletis, Destiny is confirmed Chrome is open Earlier this month, adding that Google would make good on its promise to give away ChromeOS devices 10 years of automatic updates. But this means that these devices may get those updates instead of From upgrading to aluminum. Maletis said Chrome is open:

In terms of devices being able to migrate to the new package, not all devices will be able to do so just because of technical specifications… but a lot of newer devices, we will enable customers to migrate.

And here’s something that wasn’t previously reported: Google plans to discontinue ChromeOS as soon as possible while fulfilling its 10-year support commitment for devices that won’t get aluminum. “The timeline for phasing out ChromeOS is 2034,” court documents reveal, adding that Google cannot do so before then because “jurisdictions have different rules on how long a device must be supported.”

Why did Google’s lawyers admit all these things in court? At the time, these lawyers were trying to use these facts to argue that the United States should not and could not force Google to sell Chrome after abusing its monopoly power over search. You can even see Google’s attorney leading the judge in this direction in one of the screenshots above: “Will withdrawing Chrome make it more difficult to support ChromeOS software on older computers?”

Last September, In controversy The decision, which was widely reported, was judged by Justice Amit Mehta It allowed Google to keep Chrome. What hasn’t been widely reported: Judge Mehta also agreed that he would not block Google from making self-preferential deals with carriers and manufacturers to prioritize Google apps on its aluminum-powered devices.

while Mehta’s final verdict It prohibits deals that explicitly state things like “Motorola can’t put Google apps on its Android phones unless the phones default to Google Search” or “Apple can’t set its default AI app to ChatGPT if it wants a share of Google Search revenue on the iPhone,” and Mehta has exempted ChromeOS and Aluminum from this ban. According to the final ruling, devices “with ChromeOS or ChromeOS later installed” do not count there.

In December 2025 opinionThat’s partly because “Chrome is a necessary component of the ChromeOS device,” the judge explained. Maybe that’s fair, and maybe Chrome is necessary for aluminum too. But perhaps it will only be necessary because Google designed it that way, giving the Chrome browser and Google apps special privileges that can be delegated to other browsers and companies as well.

If Aluminum turns out to be largely Android for PC, a version that just happens to lock users into Google’s browser, Google Play Store and APIs, it could run afoul of global attempts to limit Google’s monopoly power.

The tipster who directed us to these documents wonders if Google might be trying to protect aluminum from fallout in… Epic Games vs. GoogleAlso – a case that could open up the Google Play Store to competition.

while Original permanent injunction by Judge James Donato in Epic against Google It applies to Google’s dealings with the Play Store in general, even if it’s installed on laptops, desktops, or any other type of Android device. Proposed settlement by Google and Epic Modifies the injunction so that it applies only to smartphones and tablets that specifically run the “Android operating system.” This could exclude aluminum as well as laptops and desktop computers in general, if approved.

Google rejected our request to verify the aluminum project timeline and other data and documents released by the court.