9to5Google Log Out: Streaming should replace native Android apps on Chromebooks

Abner Li | Apr 7 2023 - 12:00 pm PT

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With the unceremonious release of a “Cross-Device Services” app on Tuesday afternoon, Google is laying the groundwork for the launch of ChromeOS app streaming. This will let you access Android apps from your phone on a Chromebook. When the capability was announced at CES 2022, it was positioned as letting you access any chat app, but this upcoming release does not appear to be limited to messaging.

This new capability somewhat complicates the existing Android runtime and Play Store on modern Chromebooks.

This app allows you to do things like reply to a message, check the status of a rideshare, or start/edit your shopping list from your Chromebook. This saves time and allows you to focus when you are already on your Chromebook without having to switch devices.
Play Store listing

Google’s rationale for app streaming is that some real-time apps, like for a ride-hailing service, cannot be duplicated via the existing Android app experience on ChromeOS. That’s fair (even though most modern apps easily support multiple device sign-ins), but to further Google’s listing example: say you’re about to leave, wouldn’t you want to pack up your laptop and just use your phone to be more mobile?

The bigger issue here is giving people two ways to access Android apps that, depending on how good streaming is, are nearly identical. I’ll be very interested to see how Google pitches one over the other, but if users have to do a compare-and-contrast in order to accomplish a task, the OS might be getting too convoluted.

Rather, the way I see app streaming making sense is as an outright replacement of native Android apps on Chromebooks. Today, Google is essentially bundling an entire separate operating system into ChromeOS (or three, if you count Linux apps and Steam games). That tacked-on OS has to be updated every two years and has suffered a great deal of growing pains already.

App streaming that works reliably would, in theory, let Google avoid that extra engineering work. It makes even more sense if Google is trying to be more efficient with resources and cut down on parallel projects.

With Android apps on ChromeOS now seven years old, I think it’s time for Google to reassess the experience. Personally, there are some Android apps I prefer using over their web counterparts on Chromebooks. Google Keep is on top of that list followed by Google Tasks (still not a fan of the Gmail sidebar experience) and Google Calendar.

That said, they are far from critical as the web experiences are right there and Google, as well as third-parties that have Android apps, will never stop developing web clients. Meanwhile, even without Chromebooks as a form factor, those developers that Google has been telling to optimize for large screens will still be developing for Android tablets and foldables.

Google would likely argue that there’s still a place for native Android apps on Chromebooks. Games and more powerful applications, like video editors, would likely not work via app streaming.

Android 13 for ChromeOS is already in development so everything I’ve just offered is speculation. However, down the road, Google should have a serious think about whether native Android apps make sense on Chromebooks, and justify the engineering work for an experience that is nice to have but not critical, especially when it could be made available through another method.