Android's full desktop interface leaks: New status bar, Chrome Extensions

Android’s long-rumored desktop face just slipped out via a Google bug report, and the crowd didn’t hold back. The leak shows “Aluminum OS” (aka desktop Android) running on a Chromebook with a taller status bar, a Gemini AI icon, split-screen, and even a Chrome Extensions button—very laptop vibes. Windows have minimize/max/close like ChromeOS, the taskbar looks familiar, and yes, the mouse cursor… has a tail.

But the big conversation wasn’t the icons—it was control and privacy. One top comment thundered that they don’t want a future where you can’t install apps without the vendor’s blessing. Another blasted the idea that you might need Chromebook-style developer mode to sideload apps—“DOA if so,” they warned. And privacy skeptics went full red alert, calling it the “worst spyware imaginable,” insisting Google’s business model spells data doom.

There’s a whisper of excitement about Chrome extensions and laptop-like multitasking, but it’s drowned out by lock-in panic and tracking anxiety. One user reminisced about hacking on CyanogenMod and Linux, saying modern Android and Microsoft “abuse” might push them back to the tinkerer life. Another just dropped a ruthless “No thanks,” which pretty much became the meme of the thread. Jokes about the cursor “growing a tail” didn’t help—you can almost hear the cat gifs loading. The verdict from the peanut gallery: cool features, scary strings attached.