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Google Play Starts Bringing Android Apps To Chromebooks (venturebeat.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the open-floodgates dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from VentureBeat: As promised, Google has finally brought the Google Play store to Chrome OS. Android apps, Android games, and media content from the store are all now finally available on Chromebooks running the latest stable build. But that still doesn't mean all Chromebook owners can use the store. This continues to be a gradual rollout -- even on the stable channel, Google is limiting the launch in multiple ways. "A beta release of the Play store is available to users now on the Acer R11 and Asus Flip (and coming soon to Pixel 2015) and can be enabled from the Settings page," a Google spokesperson told VentureBeat. "The team is hard at work making the experience great for users before making the Play Store available by default on these Chromebooks." That's right -- even though we're still talking about just three devices, the Play store is disabled by default. Once you've updated to version 53.0.2785.129 (make sure to switch back to the stable channel if you aren't already on it), you'll have to enable the Play Store in Chrome Settings.

14 comments

  1. Yay! Just what we need! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, Google does a lot of tracking (read: spying) via GMS. Google Play Services is really insidious. I'm sure what we all need is for Google to track everyone even more.

    1. Re:Yay! Just what we need! by darkain · · Score: 1

      And you thought they were NOT already doing this with "GOOGLE Chrome OS" !?

    2. Re:Yay! Just what we need! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't even have to use Chrome. With Google search being standard on many browsers and url bar search being the default. Even without all that they still have cookies to track you.

  2. So where's the killer chromebooks? by night · · Score: 1

    Now that you can run an android app in a window and that android phones are now coming with nice CPU, GPU, and 4GB ram. Where are the killer chromebooks?

    8-16GB ram, 13-14" 1080P screen, and a decent GPU if you want to play the occasional android game. Maybe the Iris 540.

  3. Eventual Android/Chrome OS merger by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    Pixel C was rumoured to originally be a Chrome OS device but no one would buy a tablet without app support.

    This feature uses Wayland, which would open itself up to desktop programs if Google exposed more of its Gentoo underpinnings to the end user. (yes, I hear there's Crouton.)

  4. What about permissions? by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    Will the apps still require access to your contacts, camera, and the soul of your firstborn child?

    Or perhaps there's a chance that the personal computer mindframe finally leaks onto the (belongs to the carrier) smartphone mindframe.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    1. Re:What about permissions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Much like newer versions of Android you can remove those permissions.

  5. List of to-be compatible Chromebooks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps

    Manufacturer Device
    Acer Chromebook 11 C740, CB3-111 / C730 / C730E / CB3-131
    Acer Chromebook 14 CB3-431, for Work
    Acer Chromebook 15 CB5-571 / C910, CB3-531, CB3-532
    Acer Chromebox CXI2
    Acer Chromebase 24
    Acer Chromebook R13, CB5-312T
    Asus Chromebook C200
    Asus Chromebook C201
    Asus Chromebook C202SA
    Asus Chromebook C300SA
    Asus Chromebook C300
    Asus Chromebox CN62
    Asus Chromebit CS10
    AOpen Chromebox Commercial
    AOpen Chromebase Commercial 22"
    Bobicus Chromebook 11
    CDI eduGear Chromebook K Series
    CDI eduGear Chromebook M Series
    CDI eduGear Chromebook R Series
    CTL Chromebook J2 / J4
    CTL N6 Education Chromebook
    CTL J5 Convertible Chromebook
    Dell Chromebook 11 3120
    Dell Chromebook 13 7310
    Edxis Chromebook
    Edxis Education Chromebook
    Haier Chromebook 11
    Haier Chromebook 11e
    Haier Chromebook 11 G2
    Hexa Chromebook Pi
    HiSense Chromebook 11
    Lava Xolo Chromebook
    HP Chromebook 11 G3 / G4 / G4 EE
    HP Chromebook 14 G4
    HP Chromebook 13
    Lenovo 100S Chromebook
    Lenovo N20 / N20P Chromebook
    Lenovo N21 Chromebook
    Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox
    Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook
    Lenovo N22 Chromebook
    Lenovo Thinkpad 13 Chromebook
    Lenovo Thinkpad 11e Chromebook Gen 3
    Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook
    Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook Gen 3
    Medion Akoya S2013
    Medion Chromebook S2015
    M&A Chromebook
    NComputing Chromebook CX100
    Nexian Chromebook 11.6"
    PCMerge Chromebook PCM-116E
    Poin2 Chromebook 11
    Samsung Chromebook 2 11" - XE500C12
    Samsung Chromebook 3
    Sector 5 E1 Rugged Chromebook
    Senkatel C1101 Chromebook
    Toshiba Chromebook 2
    Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015)
    True IDC Chromebook 11
    Viglen Chromebook 11

    1. Re:List of to-be compatible Chromebooks by KozmoStevnNaut · · Score: 1

      But unfortunately no Acer Chromebook 13, even though it has an ARM processor (Nvidia Tegra K1) :-(

      --
      Eat the rich.
  6. Only Google make one, Pixel 2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's only the Pixel 2 from Google that's the killer one. I think Acer do a very very nice affordable one if you want Chrome.

    BUT I WANT ANDROID!

    FFS, do they think anyone using Android at its upper limit, gives a flying f*ck about Chrome OS and its crappy browser? Everything Chrome can do, Android can do and a shit load more besides. We DO NOT WANT YOUR CHROME Pitchai. Stick Android on everything, including the top end devices, including the Pixel 2 and stop wasting our time with your failed* former project.

    Also why is your tech so far behind? Apple have their force stylus, Samsung have delivered powerful stylus software for years, yours??? Nowhere. Nexus devices were supposed to be cutting edge, yet the *hardware* is (fastest processors, highest screen res etc.) and YOUR stock Android *ISN'T* (no stylus, limited gui etc.). You have all the money and all the talent and you just cannot deliver anything more than more privacy violations = more profit?!

    Recognize you have become the latest Microsoft, the latest IBM and get your shit together.

    * Yeh yeh, its popular in schools because its locked down, and Pitchai adds Android support making it less locked down, which is dumb.

  7. Only for recent Chromebooks by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

    Google's compatibility list shows it's only for recent (under 2 year old) Chromebooks. It's not that the older Chromebooks are too slow or anything, they just are older than 2 years old. After all, the list excludes many x86 based Chromebooks (including Google's original Pixel).

  8. proxy by Minors · · Score: 1

    Everything is good, but would be better if they took care of ensuring the normal operation of proxy servers on this platform. With my proxy provider it is not compatible.

  9. The new beta by redback · · Score: 1

    Limited release is the new beta.

  10. Google, get your act together by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    It is about time that you guys fix (among other things) the Google Play Store app auto-update feature, which has a way to work erratically, if at all, in many Android devices. Only searches reveal that Google engineers do not seem to understand what is going, always resorting to voodoo suggestions: clean this cache, and see if that solves the problem. If not, do this, that and the other. If still no cigar, do a hard reset of the device. Excuse me?!? A hard reset because you people do not know what is going with your app? Even worse, the hard reset is not guaranteed to solve the problem.