Google may finally be ready to decouple Chrome from ChromeOS with the 116 update

Over the past two years, Google has been working on a project known as Lacros, a move aimed at separating the Chrome browser from ChromeOS. In the end, Lacros will be the Chrome browser you get on every Chromebook and because it won’t be attached to the core of the OS any longer, it will facilitate quicker browser patches without requiring a full OS update. Though it’s been a long road, it appears that the release of the new Lacros browser on Chromebooks might finally be on the horizon.

The Evolution of ChromeOS 116

Thanks to some code changes recently found in ChromeOS 116 by Kevin Tofel of About Chromebooks, we are seeing small code changes that could potentially have major implications. Google has included specific references to ChromeOS 116 in the Lacros documentation that outlines the process to enable the new browser. The addition of “Pre M116” suggests that with the arrival of ChromeOS 116, users may no longer need to enable experimental flags to use Lacros.

Kevin also notes that on a Chromebook running the latest version of ChromeOS 116 in the Beta Channel, the “lacros-support” flag (previously used to manually activate the Lacros browser) no longer exists. However, the “lacros-primary” flag is still present, indicating potential changes in how ChromeOS 116 uses the Lacros browser flags. This alteration could signify Google’s final steps in detaching the Chrome browser from ChromeOS.

Lacros as the Future Default Browser?

A setting was also discovered that makes Lacros the only available browser on a Chromebook via the flag found here: chrome://flags#lacros-only. With this flag on, a Chromebook running ChromeOS 116 will be updated to the Lacros browser as the primary version of Chrome on the device. And though it is visually indistinguishable, the updated version is indeed the Lacros browser as revealed in the version details.

Previously, users could use both Lacros and the built-in Chrome browser on their Chromebooks. However, these new findings suggest that ChromeOS 116 may no longer support both browsers simultaneously. And that sure feels like a move towards the new, Linux-based browser as default on Chromebooks to me.

Lacros on Chromebooks soon

Based on all this, it seems the actual launch of Lacros is imminent. Rest assured, the transition from Chrome to Lacros should be smooth, with little to no noticeable changes. My hope is that with ChromeOS 116, Google provides an opt-in (and temporary opt-out) for general users (not just a flag) that walks them through the transition while explaining what is happening. With this, they could get real-world testing for a few ChromeOS updates before forcing the change across the board.

Decoupling the browser from ChromeOS could also pave the way for extended AUE dates for older Chromebook models. There’s no official statement from Google about that, but there’s a real chance that in the future, even though Chromebooks won’t keep getting big OS feature updates after their AUE date, they’ll still get the security essentials for the Chrome browser (Lacros) to keep them safe. For the time being, we’re just excited to finally see the new browser arriving on Chromebooks and are keeping fingers crossed for a smooth roll-out.