Turning your smartphone into a desktop computer is an attractive vision that has never really taken off. Samsung offers a solution with DeX mode, which effectively allows you to display app windows on a screen connected to a Galaxy smartphone. But it's not quite a complete operating system yet, which can be used like a PC or Mac.
A Pixel that also doubles as a desktop computer
Google is also working on a native desktop mode for Android. Android Authority was able to activate it from a Pixel, and play with this new interface. This mode integrates a taskbar that displays recent and pinned apps, as well as an app drawer. You can open multiple apps simultaneously in resizable and movable windows, which brings the interface closer to a "real" desktop OS. Drag and drop is also possible between two compatible apps.
This new feature builds on the foundations laid by Android 15 on tablets, where Google launched a similar window environment—but until now limited to the tablet screen. The goal is now to extend this multi-window management to external displays connected to a phone.
Despite the work already done, we shouldn't see this "DeX-like" desktop mode in Android 16. It could well appear through a quarterly update, but only as an experimental feature for developers. We'll probably have to wait until Android 17 next year to see a stable version of this system. Google will also have to integrate a mechanism to use a mouse cursor on the smartphone screen itself, since the latter remains active when connected to an external display.
Source: Android Authority
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