Finally, it looks like Android 13 is on the way to Chromebooks

One of the things I’ve been harping on over the last few months is the fact that Android is still forked on ChromeOS into Android 9 and Android 11. Both are outdated, and the containers for both versions are different, too, giving some users the older ARC++ container and others the newer ARCVM one. For an operating system like ChromeOS that is as non-fragmented as it comes across the board, this disparity has been troublesome since the introduction of ARCVM and Android 11.

While the news we’re seeing from 9to5 Google doesn’t necessarily solve the fragmentation, it looks like it will at least get some Chromebook users up to speed with the latest, greatest Android version widely available in phones across the globe. And with that version of Android comes a very important addition: Material You.

We know the color-matching beauty of Material You is already in the works for Chromebooks, so this all makes sense as the Android portion of the experience will need version 13 in order to deliver on the same aesthetics that ChromeOS will be getting soon. While there are plenty of other reasons for Android 13 to arrive on ChromeOS, this is clearly an important one. The experience of opening up Android apps would be far less native if they don’t adapt to the Chromebook’s theme once Material You arrives in fullness.

With Microsoft already testing Android 13 for Windows, it’s high time Google gets this sorted out for its own desktop operating system. In his post over on 9to5 Google, Kyle Bradshaw makes a great point that Android 11 began rolling out to users about 6 months after it was released on phones. That put the release of that version around March of 2021, so we could be looking at a similar timeline this time around, too. That means we might begin seeing hints of Android 13 in just a month or so from now!

Again, there’s no real evidence that this will come to all Chromebooks. Instead, my gut tells me we’ll only see devices with ARCVM already enabled getting this update, but I’d be happy to be wrong. 9to5 reports they’ve only found evidence of Intel boards being tested so far, so I’d reckon my assumptions are correct. As we’ve pointed out, some ARM-based boards are in line to get ARCVM, so those devices would likely get the upgrade as well. For those still on Android 9, however, I’m not so hopeful.

Either way, I’m hopeful we’ll see something come of all this in the coming weeks. Like it or not, Android is an important part of the Chromebook story, and getting it up to date is equally important in the realization of a more-native Android app experience on Chromebooks. While I don’t use a ton of Android apps myself, I know many out there who do, and I’m rooting for Google to continue ironing out the kinks to make it a great experience for everyone.