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tech2 News StaffJun 20, 2016 11:57:19 IST
At I/O 2016, Google confirmed that Android apps will be coming to Chrome OS devices in the near future. The apps were supposed to be available through the Google Play Store on Chromebooks.
The first such apps have now started to show up, but you need alpha software to try them as they are only available on developer release channel.
The first devices that are supported by Google to run Android apps are the ASUS Chromebook Flip, the 2015 Chromebook Pixel and the Acer Chromebook R11 – all of them running the Chrome OS 53, alpha version of Chrome that was released on developer channel.
To clarify the apps only work if they don't need the features dependent on hardware like telephony (calls and SMS), GPS, rear camera or the app being a custom launcher. There are quite a number of bugs and issues like the apps open as windows in Chrome OS cannot be resized and video apps go dark as soon as the focus is removed from them.
These flaws are not Google's fault or the developers fault, because this is how everything has been working since years and features to accommodate and make apps work side-by-side need to be implemented. Apps here don't serve you notifications unless and until you have minimised in the background. These flaws will only go with time and after doing minor tweaks to the UI and working of apps. While some of the bugs and flaws like the lack of resizing of apps, has been marked to be fixed in Android N and other fixes should come as the software matures from alpha stage to stable release.
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