Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
Yesterday, the arrival of Chrome OS 54 in the Stable Channel brought some cool new features and stability improvements. But, let’s all be honest, we were hoping for broader Android App support and we didn’t get it.
Or did we?
To answer that question, let’s rewind to the much-anticipated arrival of Chrome OS 53. When 53 dropped, we thought Android Apps would show up for all the devices on Google’s list.
That reality didn’t happen. Instead, we saw Chrome OS 53 arrive in the Stable Channel with no device support for Android Apps. We still had Android Apps on the original 3 app-enabled devices (Acer R11, ASUS Flip, and the 2015 Pixel), albeit in the Beta Channel.
Two weeks later, two of those devices (Acer R11 and ASUS Flip) received Android App support in the Stable Channel. The Chromebook Pixel followed a week later.
We’re Seeing A Pattern Here
It looks like the same course of action is unfolding with 54. This time around, we have 3 newer Chromebooks left off the update list:
- HP Chromebook 13 G1
- Lenovo Thinkpad Chromebook 13
- Acer Chromebook 14 For Work
In much the same fashion, these were the only devices exempt from yesterday’s Chrome OS 54 update. While this seems to be enough to deduce a similar pattern, Lenovo provided us with a very clear sign of upcoming app support for the Lenovo Thinkpad Chromebook 13. Take a look below.
https://youtu.be/XVr2csXBB1w
With those two pieces together, I would gather we are but a couple weeks from seeing Android App support for 3 more Chromebooks. If you are the owner of any three of these devices, your wait is almost done!
