Google's Fuchsia OS may replace Android in 5 years [Update]

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Android Bugdroid statue
Android Bugdroid statue (Image credit: Android Central)

Updated 2:05 PM ET: Shortly after this report came to light, Google issued a statement to CNET saying that it's inaccurate and that the company doesn't have any plans to release products with the operating system over the next three to five years. Even if Google is planning on a release then, confirming that it might replace Android in half a decade wouldn't be the best PR move. No matter what, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any future developments over the coming months/years.

Ever since 2016, Google's been chugging along with the development of a new operating system called "Fuchsia." Fuchsia's been expected to replace Android at some point down the road, but the timeline for this has been pretty murky — at least until now.

A new report recently popped up from Bloomberg, and according to sources that spoke with the publication:

Ultimately the team [Google's Fuchsia team] aspires to swap in their system for Android, the software that powers more than three-quarters of the world's smartphones, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The aim for this is to happen in the next half decade, one person said.

Furthermore, Google also plans to have Fuchsia running on smart speakers and other "connected home devices" within the next three years.

Bloomberg's report goes on to reiterate things we've already been anticipating for Fuchsia, most notably how Google wants it to eventually be the single operating system that powers smartphones, tablets, computers, smart home devices, etc. The OS is being designed to work on screens of all sizes and form factors, and to not much surprise, Google wants voice control to be at the core of Fuchsia.

It's certainly exciting to think that we may have a brand new operating system from Google in five years time, but as it's noted here, Google's "yet to sign off on any roadmap for Fuchsia."

Are you looking forward to an Android successor?

The EU Antitrust case against Android sucks for everyone, especially you

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.
50 Comments
  • Not sure. There is always a fight against new operating systems, software and tools. But they usually are replacing things for good reason. At some point, it makes sense to update and in five years, that could be the right time.
  • > Google's Fuchsia OS may replace Android in 5 years On the Pixel phones, you mean... for the bulk of the phones in hand, we will be lucky if Android 9 (P?) will have 50% of the market share in 5 years. With the clarification above, it might happen... or, conversely, Google will learn how to spell word "legacy".
  • Use some common sense... All new phones that use Google Services from the 5 year mark!
  • I am using common sense. How many non-flagship phones, manufactured this year, use Android 8 (Oreo) out of the box? Right...
  • No, all of Android. It's obviously not going to be a "day one: every Android phone is now a Fuschia phone", but the point is that there may be a day when Android (as we know it) gets religated to a closed project or left for the masses of developers to continue updating if they so desire.
  • How does this benefit anyone but Google? I would probably use it as an opportunity to switch to iOS especially if app purchases didn't transfer.
  • It gets Android completely away from Java, and it can be catered (using the Magenta kernel) toward specific processors/chipsets to be much more efficient. Also, they've already shown it's capable of running Android apps, etc, so the chance that app purchases and such get removed is slim to none (since they would want this system to seamlessly replace Android and not leave users tapping their foot in the hopes that app developers quickly re-learn a new programming language or app development suite). The most likely end to this (assuming Fuschia takes the place of Chrome OS and Android) is that users basically won't know the difference without reading into it on their own. Android apps should all still work the same as before (potentially faster) and the devices battery may be more efficient, but it's still the same (or similar) user experience.
  • > 1. It gets Android completely away from Java...
    > 2. ... it's capable of running Android apps 1 and 2 are mutually exclusive.
  • . ..and?
  • How so? Explain plz
  • I was hoping it would happen sooner rather than later but maybe this EU ruling will light a fire under Google to push it out faster.
  • Why would the EU ruling make a difference? It's still an open source project and their money is still going to come from Play Store and Google search/ads.
  • Google recently lost out to Oracle in a lawsuit over the use of Java. All the more reason to speed up Fuscia OS development.
  • Not looking forward to voice control being at the core. I know a lot of, maybe most, people like it, but just not my bag.
  • So now we're all gonna be talking out loud to our phones in public in order to use them?
  • Just because they want voice at the core does not exclude other input methods.
  • Since this (as stated in the article) is going to be the backend for a ton of devices, including smart speakers, it makes sense to include a heavy commitment to voice interactions. However, I'm sure the screen will be just as usable for interactions as current devices...
  • This is all just speculation at the moment, that Fuchsia will replace Android in 5 years, I cannot see Android being replaced anytime soon, if anything, Google will tighten up Android much to the dismay of the anti Google trolls in respect to the ridiculous EU ruling.
  • What about the pixel phone? Blah blah blah. You're mad.
  • What about it?
  • I for one welcome our new robot overlords
  • You'd have to change the name of your web site
  • FuchsiaCentral doesn't quite cut it, does it?
  • Fuchsia Focal would work!
  • It still does
  • GoogleCentral.
  • I'm open to using another os
  • I can't wait to see something else. Though, not from Google. :)
  • Well, if it supports Android apps im sure it would probably replace Android.
  • Which, supposedly, it's already on track for...
  • Yes - I am looking forward to seeing it. We need improvements at the core operating level. It makes sense to have a core that will work with a multitude of devices - then layer it with hardware drivers etc for specific purposes. That's why I was excited about 'Treble'. And things are starting to mesh up from all angles - which is a good thing. I think we are still some years out - but I believe it is the right thing to do... I like a small - robust - efficient - OS that could be scaled up to form a sort of distribution network with redundancy in place... That would be my baby... and would make me hit the keyboards again. From a support angle - it would be much easier to have a single operating system to manage - then let it scale... 👍
  • Google can just sell Android to Samsung since Samsung is the king of Android anyways.
  • F you Samsheep, I'd sooner go back to iPhone if Google ever sold Android to Samsung to further ruin with their horrible, bloated, software(which will never happen thankfully) who are only "kings of Android" in your eyes even if they're the most popular Android OEM which they copied Apple to get to where they are which has been proven. Spoken like a true Samsung shill and Google has said they have no plans to release Fuchsia OS (what an ugly name) in 3-4 years.
  • Everybody copies. Apple also copied LG and Sony
  • Samsung only makes Android better. No one likes boring featureless stock. Google gets all their ideas from Samsung and LG for the next version. Android gets more and more like the Samsung experience with every update.
  • Google does adapt Androids base code to support new hardware that other OEMs create. But I sincerely doubt Samsung could support Androids base code by themselves. That's not in Samsung's DNA or market place. They have Tizen - so why not advance that? They don't have the time - so they rely on Google to do that for them. Each OEM adopts the base code and modifies it to support their eco system - and their market place. Such is the Android eco system as a whole. Which is my main complaint about 3rd party apps not working correctly across the Android eco system as a whole. Your somewhat locked into the OEM eco system of your choice. I was hoping project Treble would help in that area...?
  • Speak for yourself Zommbie1, not everyone likes bloated ugly Samsung UI with its gimmicks masquerading as "features" that makes their phones choke after few weeks, and let's not forget about Samsung's bad updates too. We Pixel owners maybe a minority but we are growing whether you Samsheep like it or not, Samsung making Android "better" subjective, for me there's no better to experience Android than with a Pixel
  • That's really laughable.
  • That's not "laughable" it's the truth, Pixel is the smoothest snd best Android experience.
  • Its laughable that you keep taking up for your pixel for being a pos. #benospixelisapos
  • Jesus, they are just phones lmao. Calm down.
  • beno51079 gets very upset and triggered when anyone talks good about a non pixel device..
  • Wow really? He must be a kid. Then again I know a 32 year old that is fan boy like him
    L, defends that phone and Google like it's their mama
  • Lol right
  • I am just very curious what things they will name after for each version. I hope it's different cut of beef... but that will piss off the vegans... arghhh
  • Fuchsia is a stupid ass name. Why does Google suck at names?
  • Well at least this one should be better at conserving battery life than Android does
  • Battery life on Android has been the best it's ever been on Oreo.
  • Just not on the pixel. It sucks.
  • Certainly never report anything Bloomberg reports again. Shame on them reporting something false as true.