All of the new Chromebook Plus models are still stuck on Android 11

It wasn’t that long ago that Android 13 finally began shipping to Chromebooks. The list of the devices that received the update was a little limited, but it felt like the change had been on the way for so long that other devices would be added to the list in short order. As it turns out, that isn’t exactly the case, and though I feel confident more Chromebooks will get Android 13 in the coming months, the situation for now just looks bad for certain devices.

Chromebook Plus models left out

This morning, I was running a few tests on some unrelated stuff, and after a failed attempt to launch Call of Duty: Mobile on a Chromebook Plus model, I was curious if that was indicative of the behavior for a device with Android 13 or not. And then I double-checked the Android version only to find it still stuck at 11.

Then I started checking other Chromebook Plus models – the new ones, specifically – and none of them have Android 13 at this point. From the top to the bottom, there’s not a single Chromebook Plus model with Chromebook Plus on the lid that has the latest version of Android for Chromebooks.

While it isn’t shocking, I suppose (based on the previous data around Android 13 and Chromebooks), I suppose I subconsciously expected this to be fixed up and ready for Chromebook Plus models by now. While there may not be a ton of folks looking at their particular Android version, one of the biggest additions to ChromeOS with Android 13 was the arrival of synced-up Material You accents. As this sort of theme setting is central to the Chromebook Plus experience, it’s odd to me that these devices are on the list of Chromebooks still not able to take advantage.

A fix must be on the way

To be fair, Android 13 didn’t start rolling out until after Chromebook Plus launched and no 12th-gen Intel devices are included at this point. So it’s not just a Chromebook Plus issue, but this particular group still being stuck on Android 11 is a particularly bad look for Google’s new poster child in the Chromebook space.

While I still don’t see a ton of benefit in Android 13 on my Chromebook, there’s no denying the fact that Android 11 debuted way back in 2021, and for devices that are built on speed and security, it simply looks bad to have such an outdated OS bolted on. I’m really hopeful this all gets corrected soon and that the vast majority of Chromebooks get updated to ARCVM and Android 13 in the near future, but I’m most concerned with Chromebook Plus. If these devices are set to be the face of ChromeOS for the foreseeable future, they need the best that ChromeOS has to offer in every facet, and Android 11 just isn’t it.