More Chromebooks will support Linux apps in the future

May 8, 2018 20:41 GMT  ·  By

During the Google I/O 2018 event today, Google made it official that it will soon allow Linux apps to run on Chromebooks alongside Chrome OS apps and Android apps.

We already told you last week that a new Linux Apps feature was spotted in the latest Chrome OS Dev release, and when turned on it lets users run native Linux apps like they would be running their favorite GNU/Linux distribution inside Chrome OS, the Linux-based operating system that powers all Chromebooks.

But today Google made everything official and announced at Google I/O 2018 that all Chromebooks will soon be able to run Linux apps. While the Pixelbook appears to be the first to get the support for Linux apps, Google said that more Chromebooks should receive the new feature in the coming months.

Not all apps will work well on all Chromebooks

Google also detailed the new Linux Apps feature, which is currently in beta testing in the Chrome OS Dev channel (check out our article linked above if you want to try it out now), explaining that Linux apps would work on Chrome OS using a Debian-based custom virtual machine inside Chrome OS.

Best of all, users will be able to launch their favorite Linux apps directly from Chrome OS' app launcher, just like they launch Android and Chrome OS app. Also, Google said that all Linux apps would be able to access the Downloads directory in Chrome OS, but Linux kernel 4.4 or later is required for them to work properly.

Google also said that not all Linux apps will work well on all Chromebooks. For example, a powerful and complex app like GIMP will slow down a low-end Chromebook, due to lack of GPU acceleration, which is coming later this year. That's why Google's high-end Pixelbook is the first to get support for Linux apps so that the company has a good testbed for the new feature.