Summary
- Google's Aluminium OS accidently leaked online via Chromium Issue Tracker.
- It has revealed a ChromeOS-like interface running Android 16, large screen optimised status bar and a bottom dock with Gemini.
- The current Aluminium OS version is reportedly running on HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook with Intel 12th Gen chip.
At the 2025 Snapdragon Summit, Google revealed its ambitious plan to merge Android with ChromeOS. The new operating system, dubbed Aluminium OS, is said to bring a unified technical foundation which can port the latest Android and Google Gemini features to PCs. Now, a new leak has given us our best look at the upcoming Google Aluminium OS in action.
Google Aluminium OS blends Android with ChromeOS
The folks over at 9to5Google spotted a 1-minute 27-second screen grab of the alleged Aluminium OS in action. The recording was posted on the Google Chromium Issue Tracker forum and was captured on the HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook, codenamed Brya (Redrix), with an Intel 12th Gen AlderLake-U series CPU.
.webp "Google Aluminium OS leaked screen recording")
This is the first ever look at the upcoming Android-based desktop OS that Google has been developing for the past two years. As it is evident from the above image, Aluminium OS shares a lot of resemblance with ChromeOS. It will be running on Android 16 and the ALOS (Aluminium OS) ZL1A.260119.001.A1 skin on top.
The current iteration blends Android's native Desktop Mode with ChromeOS for a fully optimised large screen interface. It features a taller status bar featuring the time with seconds in the top row, followed by the date. On the right side, the Android 16 M3E battery icon, Wi-Fi logo, notification bell icon, “EN” language identifier, Google Gemini icon and screen recorder pill are clearly visible.
There are a bunch of hints in the latest leak that suggest that Alumininum OS could be based on the latest Android 16. So, one could expect these PCs to offer Android 16 features like several lockscreen customisations and Advanced Protection Mode out of the box.
Moreover, the early prototype also showcases how multitasking will work on Aluminium OS. The above image shows several Chrome tabs open in a dual split-screen view. It also has the Google Play Store running in a hover window and a dock at the bottom, identical to the one on ChromeOS.
Aside from that, we do not get to learn anything more as it doesn't provide a deeper dive into the OS's operation. Google has also not revealed the release date of its Aluminium OS. Hence, we will have to wait for more details to learn how capable the new Androidified OS is to take over ChromeOS.
Source
9to5Google
