Big surprise: Google’s Fuchsia OS will indeed run Android apps

Google has been hard at work on a new platform, dubbed Fuchsia OS. It was almost a given that the upcoming operating system would support Android apps, but a change to the Android Open Source Project has seemingly confirmed the feature.

"These targets are used to build ART for Fuchsia. They differ from usual Android devices as they do not target specific hardware. They will produce a Fuchsia package (.far file)," reads an excerpt of a Readme file accompanying the change, according to 9to5Google.

"ART" refers to the Android Runtime, which is the environment used to run Android apps. So clearly Google is working on bringing this environment to its new operating system. The outlet also notes that the .far file in question is Fuchsia's take on Android's APK file.

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The Readme file adds that ART on Fuchsia OS will support x86 and ARM architectures. This means the functionality should theoretically run on desktop and mobile processors. In other words, this adds more weight to claims that Fuchsia will run on a variety of form factors.

In any event, Android app support would be a smart move for any Android successor, since many thousands of apps have already been developed for the platform, and consumers could continue to use the ones they've previously purchased.

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