Google won't launch its Android-ChromeOS hybrid until 2028, according to previously unreported court documents from the company's search antitrust case. While Android chief Sameer Samat told the public last September that the merger was coming in 2026, internal timelines reveal a much slower rollout - with enterprise and education customers waiting until 2028 for full access. The delay comes as Google quietly secured antitrust exemptions that could shield Aluminium OS from the monopoly restrictions now applied to its Android smartphone business.
Google just pushed back the future of its laptop business by two years, and the tech giant managed to do it while securing a controversial exemption from antitrust restrictions. Court documents obtained by The Verge reveal that Project Aluminium - Google's much-hyped merger of Android and ChromeOS - won't reach consumers until 2028, contradicting public statements from executives who promised a 2026 debut.
The revelation surfaced in August 2025 testimony from Sameer Samat, Google's head of Android, during the company's search monopoly trial. When asked directly if Google planned to launch Aluminium in 2026, Samat hedged: "We hope so. We're working hard on it." His caution proved warranted. Google's own legal filings describe a timeline where the new OS reaches "commercial trusted testers" in late 2026 before a full release in 2028.
That's a significant departure from the narrative Google's been spinning publicly. Last September, Samat told the tech press that combining Android and Chrome was "something we're super excited about for next year" - a statement that now looks like classic corporate misdirection. The leaked Aluminium OS video that circulated last week and reports of Intel Panther Lake laptops codenamed "Ruby" suggested imminent arrival. Reality tells a different story.
