Web apps, Android, or Linux? On GoogleBook, that is the question.
Many users ask themselves this, at least… and the answer isn’t always clear.
An Android Software Library That Feels Uneven…
For Play Store apps, Google reports desktop compatibility on a five-level scale:
- Designed for mobile (i.e., not tested on desktop)
- Better experience on the website
- Desktop-compatible (supports keyboard and mouse)
- Optimized for the desktop (features and controls tailored for desktop)
- Designed for the desktop
Despite this system, it remains difficult to precisely predict how an Android app will run on GoogleBook. One user cites Zoom, labeled “optimized for the desktop,” but functionally more limited than its web version.
… and Still Very Touch-Oriented
According to some feedback, popular apps refuse to install even though they run on a Chromebook. Others do not work fully (sharing to Synology DSfile, importing a profile into WireGuard…).
Moving to GoogleBook does not change the fact that many Android apps remain designed for touch. Right-click often fails to respond or offers few options. Display issues arise for some when resizing windows – an action that, incidentally, can be quite difficult.
Cast My Apps, Starting Without Samsung
Google had warned before the launch: the ecosystem features Better Together (Continue On and Cast My Apps, among others) would only work with Android smartphones 17. It did not specify, however, that this would exclude Samsung devices. A fix is being rolled out.
On supported phones (i.e., Pixel devices), the Cast My Apps experience is mixed. Notably because it depends on the quality of the local Wi‑Fi network (Google does not offer a P2P option unlike Apple). For security reasons, banking or authentication apps do not work. Likewise, more generally, for apps that do not allow screen sharing.
An x86 Emulation That Isn’t Perfect
Since the vast majority of Android devices run on ARM, apps are compiled accordingly. Despite the x86 emulation layer, “some apps or complex games need to be adapted to run best on Intel platforms,” Google admits. It also notes, however, that 96.6% of the 10,000 most-used apps on the Play Store work “perfectly” on GoogleBook.
In the Name of Agentic Coding, Graphical Linux Apps Will Have to Wait
The GoogleBook devices include a Debian VM. But for now, the Linux experience is openly oriented toward online command-line tools. Whether it’s VS Code or Android Studio, IDEs cannot be installed. As for graphical applications, they are largely unusable. Wayland is still officially experimental. Copy-paste does not work reliably, scaling of certain apps is tricky, and installed programs do not appear in the GoogleBook OS app drawer.
At the same time, the Linux container does not allow native mounting of NFS or SMB shares. And the Linux apps folder is less well integrated than in ChromeOS.
ChromeOS Regressions in GoogleBook OS
The Files app in GoogleBook OS does not handle NFS shares either. Chrome, meanwhile, does not yet support multi-profile — whereas this is available on other operating systems. Downloads behave like on Android: you cannot choose the target directory, nor rename files on the fly. The Android base also compromises the functioning of certain browser extensions.
With ChromeOS, a four-finger swipe on the touchpad reveals virtual desktops. A gesture not yet implemented on GoogleBook OS. Another surprise, and not the least: you can install only compliant web apps as PWAs. Slack’s app is not one. On ChromeOS, there is a manual installation method that exists as an alternative. It does not yet exist on GoogleBook OS.
