Google(GOOG) may be preparing to bring its big Android mobile app store, Google Play, to its desktop operating system, Chrome OS.
It has been possible for the last year to run Android apps on Chromebooks and Chromeboxes, but so far not many apps have been “ported” between the platforms. Chrome OS users still mostly have to make do with the apps designed for that environment.
Now, according to Ars Technica, some Chromebook owners are seeing signs that Google Play is coming to their devices. This would be a real game-changer for Chrome OS, due to the volume of apps in that store.
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The hints of the shift come in source code for the Chrome operating system, which seems to now contain a file pointing to an opt-in mechanism for accepting Android apps.
“Choose from over a million apps and games on Google Play to install and use on your Chromebook,” the line reads.
Some also reported the option to “enable Android apps to run on your Chromebook” briefly flashing up on their screens — so quickly that users cannot click on the tickbox to agree.
For more on Google, watch:
Late last year, Google had to refute a report that it was planning to merge the Chrome and Android operating systems. At the time, the firm wrote: “While we’ve been working on ways to bring together the best of both operating systems, there’s no plan to phase out Chrome OS.”
Bringing Android’s wealth of apps to the desktop platform would certainly be one way to make good on that stance.
