Google is already testing Android P on Chrome OS despite Oreo never rolling out to Chromebooks

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The line between Chrome OS and Android has been getting very blurry. Chrome OS started out as a very different type of operating system. It was literally just a browser at first, but in the 7 years since launch, it has evolved. Chrome OS is now heavily influenced by Android. In just 2018 we’ve seen touch-friendly interfaces, Google Assistant, floating keyboards, and lock-screen notifications. Will Google’s web-based OS eventually merge with Android P?

Chrome OS already has the Play Store and Android apps. It’s getting more like Android every day. Android Oreo hasn’t rolled out to Chromebooks, but it appears Google is already testing Android P. There has been quite a bit of talk about Android P in Chromium commits. Some go all the way back to October, but a recent commit caught our eye.

Commit 974913 was created March 22nd and reads:

arcnext: Hook up _P tests to android-container-pi builds.

It’s also interesting to note there was a commit earlier this month that said: “Split tests into N and _P to bootstrap CQ/PFQs.” Without Android Oreo ever being released to Chromebooks, it appears Google is skipping straight from N to P. Full Android running on lightweight laptops seems inevitable. Android apps on Google’s web-based OS has shown just how well it could work. Chrome and Android have been on a crash course for a while now. Android P could finally be merge point.