Every since Andy Rubin resigned as head of Google's Android division, rumors have been swirling that the gears concerning Google's plans to eventually phase out Android in favor of the Chrome operating system had officially begun turning.
The idea was that, with Google Vice President of Chrome and Apps Sundar Pinchai taking over Rubin's spot, the search giant would start to integrate the two systems into each other, eventually doing away with the Android brand altogether.
According to Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, however, that won't be happening any time soon.
"[Chrome and Android are] certainly going to remain separate for a very long time, because they solve different problems," said Schmidt at Google's Big Tent get-together in India, according to The Verge.
Even so, Schmidt added that the two operating systems could potentially overlap more in the future, specifically saying there would be more "commonality." Of course, even if Android and Chrome are separate for a long time, it doesn't mean that the two won't eventually merge, or that Chrome OS won't one day be running Android apps, as The Verge speculates.
The rumors of Google killing Android began last month when Fabrizio Capobianco, the founder and CEO of TOK.tv, wrote that Google is consciously trying to push aside the Android brand in favor of Chrome, or more generally, the Google brand.
His theory is that Google wants to eventually sell "Google"-branded devices, which is why its purchase of Motorola is so important. Google has denied that it plans to open Google stores, but if the company does decide to phase out Android, then retail shops would give the company a great place to sell directly to customers.
That might still be a long way off, though. Unlike Google Reader, which had its plug pulled earlier this week, Schmidt said that neither Chrome nor Android would be abandoned.
Read more: Is Google Killing 'Android'?
