(Credit: Molly Flores/PCMag)
Google plans to replace ChromeOS with a new platform called Aluminium OS, combining the best of its existing computing software with Android. We may now have seen the first glimpse of the software, but not as Google would have intended.
Spotted by 9to5Google, a recent bug report on the Google Chrome Issue Tracker included two screen recordings. The report references ALOS, Android's in-development operating system, and says the videos come from an existing HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook.
Android Authority uploaded the videos to YouTube, allowing everyone to watch both clips unless they’re removed later. Both videos show the operating system running in split-screen mode with two Chrome windows side by side. The clips also suggest this is an early version of Aluminium OS, referencing Android 16 with a matching build number to the bug report.
The videos show a design similar to ChromeOS, with a major change: moving the start button to the center of the taskbar.
There’s also a new, taller status bar running along the top of the software to show battery levels and connectivity status. The setup also displays the time, including seconds, along with a Gemini indicator and a pill icon to show that a screen recording is in progress.
This video isn’t a full tour of the software, but it gives us a good hint that Aluminium OS is progressing in development, especially since someone is running it on existing hardware.
The brand is expected to share more later this year, with the head of Android previously teasing that we'd hear more in 2026.
Google may wait until its I/O event, where we expect to hear about Android 17 and more new features for Gemini. If Google follows a similar schedule to previous years, we will likely hear more in May.