Google has fixed an issue where the Android app development feature was missing on some Chromebooks. With the rollout of ChromeOS 146, the feature has now been fully restored and is working as expected.
Earlier, many users noticed that the Android app development option had suddenly disappeared from their Chromebook settings. This feature is essential if you rely on tools like ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to test, debug, or sideload Android apps directly on ChromeOS. Google later acknowledged that this was a bug that had accidentally disabled the feature and confirmed they were working on a fix.
Confirmed on a Real Device After ChromeOS 146.
With the latest ChromeOS 146 update, Google has resolved the issue and brought the feature back. The Android app development option is now visible again in system settings, works properly with ADB connections, and is once again available for developers and power users.
This means you can return to testing and debugging Android apps on your Chromebook without needing any workarounds.
To confirm the fix on your device, open Settings, go to About ChromeOS > Linux development environment, and check for the Develop Android apps option.
If it appears there, everything is working as it should. Previously, without this option, developers couldn’t properly debug or sideload apps, which made the experience quite frustrating.
Wrapping Up
ChromeOS 146 may not introduce major new features, but fixes like this make a meaningful difference, especially for developers who depend on these tools every day. If the option was missing on your device earlier, updating your Chromebook to ChromeOS 146 should bring it back.
