Massive leak reveals Google’s Aluminium OS with a 16-minute video

Google is hosting The Android Show: I/O Edition later today, where we hope to learn more about Aluminium OS and Google’s plan for Android on desktops. If you can’t wait, this new leak is giving us a thorough look at Aluminium OS before Google gets around to it.

Leaker Mystic Leaks has shared an extensive leak about Aluminium OS on their Telegram channel. The leak includes details about the OS, screenshots, and even a 16-minute-long hands-on video of Aluminium OS.

This build of Aluminium OS is running on a MacBook Pro through the UTM emulator.

The leaker notes that Google’s Aluminium OS is “essentially plain Android” but with several desktop-experience features, such as:

• Desktop folders
• Virtual desktops
• Optimized Quick Settings and Notifications Panel
• Optimized apps like Task Manager
• Ecosystem between your laptop and mobile devices (including Apple iPhones through Link to iOS).

Going a step further, the leaker calls the current Aluminium OS experience an upgraded version of Samsung DeX instead of an actual desktop-class OS. The experience in its current form lacks mouse and keyboard-optimized apps — even the Google apps pictured are web versions wrapped in a window.

There’s more information on the Aluminium OS experience in the video below (skip to the 2:15 mark to avoid the long booting time):

The setup screen will allow users to set up Aluminium OS hardware for work and personal needs through the regular Google setup wizard we’re familiar with on our Android phones. Once you complete the setup and land on the home screen, you see an app dock at the bottom (with an app drawer button), the ever-familiar Google Search bar, the ever-familiar icons for the Play Store, and a folder full of Google apps.

The Quick Settings panel slides down from the side in a compact form factor when you tap and pull on the battery indicator in the status bar. A similarly compact Notification Panel slides down when you click on the notification icon on the status bar. Even the Settings app and the lock screen are quite similar to those on Android phones and tablets.

The video shows Recent apps being assigned as a shortcut for the bottom-right corner. When Recent apps are accessed, users will also be able to access virtual desktops, letting them organize different workspace setups and easily switch between them. We also see the Link to iOS app installed on the system.

So far, based on this very limited hands-on leak, Aluminium OS feels underwhelming. Hopefully, Google has more tricks up its sleeve to pique people’s interest in this new software endeavor. We hope to learn more soon, either through leaks or straight from the company.