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Android apps on ChromeOS

In 2016, the Google Play Store was brought to ChromeOS, allowing the same apps that run on phones and tablets to run on Chromebooks without compromising their speed, simplicity or security. Because Chromebooks run a full version of the Android framework, your app is most likely running on ChromeOS devices today! That means devs can take their single Android APK and scale it to work on any ChromeOS device, allowing for even more immersive and engaging experiences on devices with bigger screens. There are a few differences between phones and ChromeOS devices (and other larger screen form-factors) that can add challenges and opportunities for different experiences such as:

  • Larger landscape-first screens
  • x86 architecture devices
  • Free form windows and resizing
  • Keyboard, mice, & trackpads as first class input methods

Learn what it takes to build a high-quality large screen app, then jump in to start adapting your app for ChromeOS.

Get started with ChromeOS

Publish

Publishing your app for ChromeOS devices can seem challenging or confusing, but it is the same APK that you ship for phones and tablets. For more information check out our resources on publishing through the Play Store for ChromeOS including optimizing for x86 if you use the NDK.

Optimize

ChromeOS allows your app to bring new experiences and patterns to your users, but it does come with some challenges. Read what is involved to optimize your app or check out a blog post for more information on what your app on ChromeOS and other larger screen devices involves.

Design

There are design considerations to keep in mind on larger screen devices, and we’ve created some recommendations and guidelines to keep in mind when thinking about how your app looks and behaves on ChromeOS.

Build

There are a few ways to develop for ChromeOS, you can build directly on your ChromeOS device using the Linux for ChromeOS or you can connect your ChromeOS device to your main workstation and develop that way.