Google brings Android apps to Chrome OS, starts off slow

At Google I/O the Android and Google community were in awe at Google’s plans for the future. We saw Android L, Material Design, screen mirroring for Chromecast, Android TV and Android Auto. Something else that came out of the Google I/O conference was the long-awaited hope and dream of Android apps on Chrome OS, Chromebooks to be more precise.

After just a few months, Google has started to make that a public reality. The flood gates aren’t opening just yet, but Google is making a select number of apps available. Those apps are  Duolingo, Evernote, Sight Words, and Vine. Oddly enough Flipboard was mentioned during Google I/O but didn’t make the initial cut. Moving forward Google will be working with a handful of developers to start moving their apps over and making sure they work as they are supposed too.

 “Over the coming months, we’ll be working with a select group of Android developers to add more of your favorite apps so you’ll have a more seamless experience across your Android phone and Chromebook.”

So, does this mean you need some sort of new install, or a special emulator of sorts installed? Nope. Ars Technica plugged Google for a little more detail in terms of how it all runs.

The app code is all running on top of the Chrome platform, specifically inside of Native Client. In this way the ARC (Android Runtime for Chrome) apps run in the same environment as other apps you can download from the Chrome Web Store, even though they are written on top of standard Android APIs. The developers do not need to port or modify their code, though they often choose to improve it to work well with the Chromebook form factor (keyboard, touchpad, optional touchscreen, etc).  

Quick and simple. You don’t need anything nor do you need to do anything. All you need to do is grab the app from the Chrome Web Store and use it. You do need to be on Chrome OS version 37 though. Hit up the links below to go grab each of the specific apps from the Chrome Web Store mentioned and let us know what you think.

Duolingo | Evernote | Sight Words | Vine 

Source: Chrome Blog Via: Ars Technica

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