We’ve known that the Play Store would be coming to Chromebooks since last year and this was confirmed in version 51 of Chrome OS. Now, Google is finally rolling out Chrome OS 53 to the developer channel and with it comes the addition of Google’s Play Store to the platform. Initially, only the following three Chromebooks will be able to support the Play Store: the Asus Chromebook Flip, the Acer Chromebook R11, and Google’s Pixel 2.
In a Google Plus post, Google’s François Beaufort said the following:
“The Play Store and Android Apps just started rolling out on the Dev channel for the Asus Flip Chromebook and I’m loving it so far. More devices will follow very soon. Yeah!”
While the list of devices is currently short, it will be extended later this year as Google plans to bring the feature to many more Chromebooks, including ARM and x86 architectures. Google has also been working with its Chromebook partners to launch new devices that will ship with Google Play out of the box, bringing the popular app store and its millions of apps to Chromebook users.
“While we won’t be able to bring Android apps to every Chromebook ever made, we’re continuing to evaluate more devices based on a range of factors, like processor type, GPU, and drivers”
– Google support note.
Not all the apps are going to work the same way they do on your Android smartphone, hence why the Play Store is only available in the developer channel.
To activate the Play Store on your Google Chromebook you’ll have to go to your settings page, navigate to the “Play Store” section and check the box that says “Enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook.” After agreeing to the terms of service, you’ll have the Play Store available!
