The Android Play Store Update Is Now Officially Released – Wowzers

The Google Play store has finally graduated. The update is now finally available to the first few Chromebooks, but only two out of the trio. Gasp.

That’s right. Google announced that it’s bringing Android apps over to Chromebooks via the Google Play store. The update, however, has always been in the developer channel because it was never stable enough to release to the general public. It was basically still in beta testing for bugs, patches, and security issues. But now, most of those have been sorted out and the update is considered good-to-go for now. Of course, more updates will roll out to fix bugs which will be found as it’s now released to a larger audience. Not a problem though, as owners can report these issues to Google by a feedback form and have them patch it up.

The first two Chromebooks get Android apps

Asus Flip and Acer R11 are the first two Chromebooks to get the update.
Asus Flip and Acer R11 are the first two Chromebooks to get the update.

The Android update has always been in the works for a few Chromebook models, which have had access to the developer channel for a while now. You would be able to play around with the Play store update even if you didn’t have these specific models as long as you were in the developer channel. But if you wanted to be the first to get the actual update, you had to either have the Acer R11 or the Asus Chromebook Flip. There was a third Chromebook- the Google Pixel 2015 model, which was supposed to be a part of this group to receive the first Play store updates. This didn’t happen. Only two out of the three Chromebooks have received the update so far.

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Now, the company has been slowly working towards bringing the update to the public. As of now, Google Play access is fully available in the stable channel for those two Chromebooks. This means, any owner of the Acer R11 or Asus Chromebook Flip can use an update to the newest Chrome OS version, which allows the use of Android apps on Chromebook.

Play store update coming to your Chromebook

The Play Store is coming to your Chromebook.
The Play Store is coming to specific Chromebooks- check out the list to see if yours is eligible.

Google stated that Google Play access should be available for the Chromebook Pixel (2015) soon and that they would add support for more devices. So if you’re an owner, fret not. The update will be released to the original trio.

If, however, you don’t own one of these Chromebooks, don’t be worried. Google plans to add support to plenty more Chromebook models from all makes and manufacturers. Check out this list and see if your Chromebook is planned to receive the Play store update.

The Play store is still pretty much in beta, and you have to manually turn it on the Settings menu. If you want to test it out since you don’t own either of those Chromebooks, you can do so. Be forewarned that the experience won’t be without error. Using an app built for a smartphone or tablet on a laptop using a keyboard and touchpad isn’t a smooth transition if you really think about it, no? Of course.

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Either way, this is huge for Google. Two out of three Chromebooks have received the initial update, and plenty more are on the list. Some manufacturers are starting to use hardware built for the porting of Play store apps on Chromebooks, such as Lenovo with its Yoga Book and other brands with more touchscreen integration and tweaks to make apps a more seamless experience on Chromebooks. A small step for updates. A Big step for Google. As Chromebooks evolve, we should see them more suited for apps all around.

 

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).

34 thoughts on “The Android Play Store Update Is Now Officially Released – Wowzers”

  1. Iv’e tried this before I even found this website. #WHOEVERMADETHISTEXTSUCKS

    Guys, stick with phones!

    BOO FOR YOU!!!

    Not to my text, not to the people who can see this, except for the person who made this website!

    When I search, it literally shows nothing! And, I will say again, before I found this text I have already tried that.

    Look at all of your mostly bad comments… IMPROVE!!!

    Reply
  2. Iv’e tried this before I even found this website. #WHOEVERMADETHISTEXTSUCKS

    Guys, stick with phones!

    BOO FOR YOU!!!

    Not to my text, not to the people who can see this, except for the person who made this website!

    When I search, it literally shows nothing! And, I will say again, before I found this text I have already tried that.

    Look at all of your mostly bad comments… IMPROVE!!!

    Reply
  3. I have been looking for roblox for over two months on my chromebook and still cannot find it. Please help me.

    Reply
    • Hey alex,

      The easiest way about doing this is to simply look at the bottom sticker on the bottom panel. This gives you a lot of information about the brand and model number. You can launch Chrome and do punch in “chrome://system” and take a look.

      You can also type in your Chromebook’s brand into a search engine and browse around to get the official device number.

      Lastly, you can ask your admin if it’s a school/work laptop. Or if you bought it yourself, you can look at the original packaging.

      Let me know if you need help.
      Thanks.

      Reply
  4. I have an acer 11 and I dont have the play store. My Chromebook i also on version 66.0.3359.203 and it says that google play will go from version 53 and up. Plz help and explain.

    Reply
    • Hey Henry,

      You may have to force the update. Some older models still don’t have the update yet because it’s still rolling out slowly and you’ll have to either wait for it or just force it. Check out this tutorial– you’ll probably find it helpful.

      Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Thanks.

      Reply
  5. im confused. I used the “Crome Remote Desktop” and it worked. but i realized, whats the point if the Windows PC cant do something while you play on your chromebook. (Whats the point using it on your chromebook if your W.PC is right in my computer area?) i wanna play it on my cromebook without using money : /

    Reply
    • Hey Ryder,

      Yeah, I totally get what you mean. Why play it on another device when you can play it directly on your PC? That’s exactly how I felt when I wrote some of these tutorials.

      But some readers have requested it because they take their Chromebook with them out in public- like at school, work, the mall, or wherever. Chrome Remote Desktop lets you use it anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection, so you can access your Windows files, programs, and games from across the planet if you wanted to.

      I guess if you’re always on-the-go, this would prove to be more useful than if you had both computers right in front of you! So it depends on your lifestyle and what you’re doing with your Chromebook. But I get where you’re coming from.

      If you have any other questions, let me know.

      Thanks.

      Reply
    • Hey there,

      This is possible if you don’t need to enable Developer Mode.

      If you just install it straight from the Play Store, your device should be able to run the game even on a school Chromebook (unless it’s filtered or blocked by your admin).

      You used to have to enable Dev Mode, which would usually be blocked on a school or work device. But now that it’s available on the Play Store, you should have no problem getting the game- provided that your school hasn’t installed a filter.

      You may want to check out this tutorial as well:
      Running Roblox on a Chromebook

      Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Thanks.

      Reply

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