This is the first device to run Google’s mysterious Android replacement

We’ve been tracking Google’s mysterious Fuchsia operating system for several years, waiting for the software giant to finally unveil the OS that’s expected to replace Android one day. Google finally acknowledged Fuchsia publicly in 2019, saying the OS is not targeting just phones and PCs, but also other smart devices. That was an indication that we might see Fuchsia first on non-Android gadgets, like Google’s smart home products. Since then, the number of Fuchsia rumors intensified with various leaks suggesting Google might soon deploy Fuchsia in the wild. The most recent report said that Samsung is likely to support Fuchsia devices, and we speculated that I/O 2021 might bring Fuchsia news.

Google did unveil several new software initiatives at the show, including a significant Android 12 redesign that jives well with Fuchsia rumors. But there was no official Fuchsia segment at the show to announce the public deployment of Fuchsia. Yet Google is already rolling out the new operating system to the first device that will support it. Unsurprisingly, Fuchsia isn’t coming to a Pixel phone first, but to a smart home gadget.