What the Googlebook announcement means for your ChromeOS devices

Since 2011, we’ve continued to improve ChromeOS to deliver secure, fast, and feature-rich Chromebook experiences for millions of students, teachers, and businesses across the globe.

We recently launched Googlebooks—a new line of devices built to bring greater versatility, enhanced performance, and helpful capabilities, built for Gemini Intelligence. To power these new experiences, we are introducing Googlebook OS, a new operating system that brings together the best of ChromeOS and the Android tech stack. This technical evolution enables seamless cross-device capabilities, native app support, and intelligent productivity tools, while crucially retaining the core principles that have made Chromebooks valuable tools for educational and business environments: security, simplicity, speed, shareability, and ease of management.

While our initial Googlebook rollout debuts for consumers, our commercial roadmap follows a deliberate, multi-year timeline. The first wave of core management capabilities will start rolling out in the second half of 2027. We are dedicated to delivering a smooth, transparent transition for schools and businesses.

This help center article is intended to answer common questions that IT administrators may have about what this announcement means for their existing fleet of devices. We will continue to update this page as we have more details to share over time.

Summary of our priorities

• We will maintain support for current Chromebook devices running ChromeOS as outlined in our Auto Update policy and the Chromebooks you have today will continue to receive updates through their supported lifetime. Chromebooks remain available for all school and enterprise deployments today.
• Your active ChromeOS Enterprise Upgrade and ChromeOS Education Upgrade associated with existing devices will remain and maintain their current management capabilities.
• Many of our newest Chromebook devices will be eligible to transition over to Googlebook OS. Details on migration paths and device eligibility will be shared soon.
• We are working to deliver a comprehensive management experience for Googlebooks which will start rolling out in the second half of 2027.
• We are committed to our web developer ecosystem. While we will support and optimize Android apps as we build this experience, we still believe in the value that web apps bring to organizations, and we will continue to support the manageability of web apps for IT admins and a robust set of APIs for web developers.

Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that you may have questions about what this means for the future. Below are the most frequently asked questions we receive from our customers.

Open all  Close all

What is Googlebook OS?

We are evolving the underlying ChromeOS operating system foundation by building on the Android tech stack. This architecture enables greater performance, richer cross-device capabilities with mobile ecosystems, and helpful built-in tools powered by Google AI and Gemini, all while preserving the speed, security, and simplicity administrators expect.

How will the Googlebook experience be different from ChromeOS today?

ChromeOS today offers an exceptional user experience, which we will enhance by offering deeper system capabilities and flexibility:

• An intuitive and personalized interface with a modernized design offering streamlined multitasking and customization.
• Built-in cross-device interoperability allowing for effortless task hand-offs, file sharing, and connectivity between phones, tablets, and laptops.
• Native support for Android applications alongside a desktop web browsing environment.
• Available Google AI assistance to streamline everyday workflows and support learning and productivity.
• Management and security controls for all of these new system capabilities.

How should this announcement impact our current hardware purchasing and refresh plans?

ChromeOS devices will continue to receive regular updates and security patches through mid-2034. For qualifying devices purchased today whose 10-year support lifecycle extends beyond 2034, Google is committed to supporting your transition to Googlebook OS, with many devices offering direct migration paths.

Is management available for Googlebook devices today?

The 2026 Googlebook launch is designed specifically for personal consumer use and does not yet support domain enrollment or centralized fleet management. We are taking a deliberate, multi-phase approach to build the robust administrative controls, security compliance, and policies that institutions rely on.

Today

• Managed Google Workspace accounts on personal devices—Users can sign in with managed Google Workspace accounts (if permitted by domain administrators via Google Endpoint Management).
• Chrome browser management—Users can opt in to cloud-based Chrome browser management, covering the most common browser policies used in enterprise and school deployments.

Looking ahead

• A comprehensive management experience for Googlebooks will start rolling out in the second half of 2027.

Will Google still support Google Admin console for these new experiences and will it have the same capabilities that it does today? What will management look like?

We’re focused on providing exceptional institution-grade device management capabilities via the admin console that you expect from Chromebooks. This includes robust admin controls for devices / users / browsers, device / user reporting, and easy distribution with zero-touch enrollment.

We will also ensure that APIs are available if your organization chooses to manage devices using a 3rd-party Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) provider. Establishing these comprehensive administrative capabilities is a multi-year journey that will roll out in phases. While the initial 2026 launch is designed specifically for personal consumer use and does not yet support domain enrollment, we plan to progressively deliver robust administrative controls starting in the second half of 2027.

Will existing Chromebooks migrate to Googlebook OS?

Many newer commercial Chromebook models will be capable of upgrading to Googlebook OS. Details on migration paths and device eligibility will be shared at a later date.

When I’m ready to purchase a new Googlebook or transition eligible Chromebooks to Googlebook OS, what happens to my Chrome Enterprise Upgrade or Chrome Education Upgrade license?

Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and Chrome Education Upgrade licenses are designed specifically for managing ChromeOS devices. Your existing upgrade licenses will remain active and fully supported for managing your Chromebook fleet throughout each device’s lifecycle.

When you purchase new Googlebooks—or choose to migrate eligible Chromebooks to Googlebook OS—management will operate under a new licensing structure.

For customers with eligible Chromebooks who are interested in migration, Google is committed to supporting a seamless transition to Googlebook OS. We will share comprehensive licensing details and migration paths in advance of commercial availability to assist with your planning.

Will the core ChromeOS security features still exist?

Yes - we will have robust built-in security, sandboxing, verified boot, automatic updates, support for secure student assessments, and layered filtering. We know that for our customers, security is one of the most important factors in a purchasing decision, and we’ve worked hard to maintain that level of trust on our platforms. With AI comes an entirely new set of security opportunities—and we will prioritize protecting our customers by building devices for the new era. We plan to bring numerous security features to this new tech stack with a multi-phased roadmap.