The Chrome Cast 268: ChromeOS is moving to the Android kernel

This week on The Chrome Cast podcast, we dive into a big announcement from Google regarding the backend framework of ChromeOS and all of the new software features for Chromebook Plus that were announced at the Chromebook Showcase a few weeks ago in NYC.

We had planned for the latter to be the main discussion this week, but an emergency press conference was in order after Google announced on Wednesday that the foundation of ChromeOS is moving to the Android Linux kernel. We talk through what this might mean for ChromeOS moving forward, how it will affect users, and the timeline for this change. This is a big move, so it was nice to talk through the details and I hope it clarifies this news that could easily be blown out of proportion. If you are well-versed in the world of kernels and have additional insight, please leave us a comment below.

As promised, the remainder of the show is dedicated to all the new features now available on Chromebook Plus. We talk through a few of our favorites, how they are currently working, and some tweaks we would like to see in the future. We’ve been waiting for these features to roll out since they were first teased back in October at the first Chromebook event so it’s great to see them finally available! What’s your favorite new feature? Let us know!

Show Links

• The ChromeOS foundation is shifting to the Android kernel
• Google announces a flood of awesome new features
• Understanding how and when to use ‘Help me write’ on a Chromebook [VIDEO]
• How to get 12 months of Gemini Advanced with older Chromebook Plus models
• ChromeOS 125 is rolling out with tons of new Chromebook features
• Chromebook AI wallpapers are fun as long as you don’t have a QHD or 4K screen
• ChromeOS 125 enables multiple calendars in Quick Settings
• New ChromeOS 125 OOBE highlights AI features right out of the box