This may be when Google plans to phase out Chrome OS

Google will soon challenge Windows and Mac with a new PC operating system, called Aluminium OS, that combines Android and Chrome OS. The Mountain View-based firm officially announced the new OS last September during Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit. You may be wondering, “How soon is soon?” Based on court documents, it appears we may have to wait a couple more years.

The folks over at The Verge have uncovered unreported court documents related to Google’s search antitrust case. In those documents, Google’s own lawyers mention that Aluminium OS could be offered to “commercial trusted testers” in late 2026, with a full release in 2028. Additionally, the lawyers suggest that 2028 will be the earliest that the “enterprise and education sectors” will get Aluminium OS.

This revelation appears to be in contrast to what Google said during the Snapdragon Summit when it claimed 2026 would be when the project would launch. However, The Verge says it obtained a transcript that shows Google’s head of Android, Sameer Samat, only said Google hopes to launch Aluminium in 2026.

These documents also appear to confirm that Google plans to end Chrome OS as soon as possible. Earlier this year, Google VP of product management for Chrome OS, John Maletis, stated in an AMA that Google would honor its commitment to 10 years of Chrome OS support.

A few years ago, we extended our support commitment for Chromebooks from 7 years to 10 years. And that’s a very, very, very important thing to us… So as we’re going through this evolution, we are maintaining that commitment of 10 years of support of these devices from when the platform launches.

It seems that meeting this obligation is about as far as the company is willing to go.

According to The Verge, the documents reveal that the “timeline to phase out ChromeOS is 2034.” It’s also mentioned that the phase-out can’t be done any earlier than that because “jurisdictions have various rules for how long a device must be supported.”

An excerpt spotted in a job listing back in November suggested that Google is already working on how to phase out Chrome OS. That job listing tasked the potential hire with developing a strategy for transitioning “Google from ChromeOS to Aluminium with business continuity in the future.”