Google ends project that would have let Android devices easily run ChromeOS

Ben Schoon | Oct 4 2024 - 9:15 am PT

A project at Google that allowed Android devices to run ChromeOS with essentially the click of a button is coming to an end, as Google isn’t further developing “Ferrochrome.”

Earlier this year a project inside of Google surfaced which allowed devices including the company’s own Pixel phones to run ChromeOS on top of Android. This leveraged Android’s increasingly capable ability to run virtual machines, among other advancements. Google later confirmed that the project was nothing more than a proof of concept, though, dashing hopes that it might become a feature offered on Google’s smartphones and tablets.

Now, Google is fully sunsetting “Ferrochrome,” the app that allowed for this relatively easy functionality.

In a recent commit that has been merged into AOSP, Google explicitly says it “wouldn’t ship” this project, and that the project won’t be maintained going further either. Android Authority first spotted the commit before it was merged.

We wouldn’t ship FerrochromeApp (with CrOS) nor maintain this code.

Google isn’t giving up on the Android Virtualization Framework that this feature was built on, but this specific project is shutting down. It’s highly unlikely this is something Google would have ever offered to end users anyway, though, but it’s a shame that the dream is effectively dead now. But, as Google continues to build out the tech, it’s entirely possible someone else will figure it out.