Google is finally bringing Android apps to Chromebooks

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google's Play Store, home to more than 1 million Android apps, is finally moving beyond the confines of Android.

Chrome OS, the operating system that powers Chromebooks, is getting support for the Play Store, Google announced Thursday during a session at its I/O developer conference.

Though Google previewed the news Thursday, Android apps won't officially launch until later in 2016. But developers can begin to optimize their apps for Chrome OS ahead of the launch.

Once the Google Play Store is available to Chromebooks, users will be able to download Android apps to their desktop — even if they don't have a web or desktop version. During a demo Thursday, Senior Director of Product Management Kan Liu showed off Clash of Clans, Adobe's and Photoshop Mix running on a Chromebook. Read more...