SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 28, 2026, 03:06 PST
- Google briefly posted screen recordings that appear to show “Aluminium OS,” a PC-style Android build, on a Chromebook
- Footage points to a desktop interface with window controls and a Chrome extensions button
- The bug report that carried the videos was later restricted or removed, according to tech sites
Alphabet’s Google inadvertently published screen recordings that appear to show its long-rumoured Android-for-PC effort, codenamed “Aluminium OS,” before locking down the bug report that carried the files, tech sites reported. (The Verge)
The leak matters because it is the clearest public glimpse yet of how Google might push Android beyond phones and tablets, and what that could mean for Chromebooks — a product line that has relied on ChromeOS for more than a decade.
It also lands as Google ramps up “desktop mode” work inside Android, a term for a PC-like interface with a taskbar and resizable app windows rather than full-screen mobile apps.
A bug report on the Chromium Issue Tracker — Chromium is the open-source project behind Google’s Chrome browser — included two screen captures tied to a complaint about Chrome “Incognito” tabs, the browser’s private-browsing mode, 9to5Google wrote. The clips show a device identified as an HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook running an “ALOS” build number and listing the operating system as Android 16, alongside a taller top status bar and a desktop-like window strip with minimize, fullscreen and close buttons. (9to5Google)
Liliputing, which also reviewed the saved videos, highlighted a detail likely to catch developers’ attention: Chrome in the footage shows an Extensions button — a feature normally found on desktop browsers for Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. (Liliputing)
Google has previously described plans to converge its mobile and laptop software. At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in September, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said, “I’ve seen it, it is incredible,” while Google executive Rick Osterloh told the audience Google and Qualcomm were “building together a common technical foundation” for PCs. (The Verge)
If Google does ship a PC-focused Android platform, it would put the company more directly into the mainstream desktop operating system race dominated by Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s macOS, while raising fresh questions about how ChromeOS fits into the long-term plan.
There are risks and big unknowns. The recordings were brief and appear to show a work-in-progress build; Google has not detailed a launch timeline, supported devices, or whether existing Chromebooks would be eligible. Even with desktop windowing, Android apps and the surrounding tools would need to behave reliably on larger screens for the project to stick.
