Here’s why Chrome hasn’t hit Windows on Arm laptops yet
- A Qualcomm manager has raised why Chrome isn’t available on Windows on Arm devices.
- The executive notes that this is more of a “political problem” than a technical hurdle.
One of the best ways for older Windows apps to run faster on Windows on Arm is to have developers offer an Arm version that allows the app to run natively on the platform. In the browser area we saw an arm port from Firefox and a native version of Microsoft Edge.
Unfortunately, Google hasn’t shipped a native version of its Chrome browser yet. Now Miguel Nunes, Senior Director for Product Management at Qualcomm, has highlighted the no-show in a discussion with journalists.
“The code is ready. This is not a technical problem, ”Nunes replied to a question from Android AuthorityNote that the latest version of Microsoft Edge uses the Chromium engine that powers Chrome.
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“The Chrome browser is a Chrome engine and a couple of things (sic). So it is not a technical problem, but a political problem. Nothing really prevents them from doing it, they just haven’t done it yet, ”explained Nunes. “In fact, everything worked, it works well. It’s just a matter of them making it publicly available. “
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard a murmur of a possible behind-the-scenes problem with Chrome’s release. Neowin reported last year that Chrome was ready for Windows on Arm, but that there was “some kind of disagreement” between Google and Microsoft or Qualcomm.
However, this appears to be the first time either of these parties has officially recognized a “policy issue” resulting from Chrome not being available for Windows on Arm. Hopefully it will be fixed soon as it is definitely one of the biggest apps to get an arm port to date.
