Android’s desktop mode has always been aimed at developers. But that could change, as its interface becomes more intuitive than ever.
Our smartphones have become so efficient that they can completely replace our good old PCs to accomplish certain tasks, such as browsing the web, taking notes, or sending emails. However, if their small screens (everything is relative) and their touch interfaces are very practical in many situations, the keyboard and mouse remain first-rate tools in many others.
So, if Samsung offers a pretty compelling desktop experience with its own devices, isn’t it time for Google to bring such functionality to the entire Android ecosystem?
Better window management
Like the inhabitants of a neighborhood who witness the construction of a new building every day, we observe Android 15 taking shape on the horizon. Google’s OS should be unveiled this fall, at the same time as the Pixel 9, and the hunt for information on its new features is going well. Here, there is no need to bribe the company’s engineers, just look at the beta versions of Android 14, which now concern its successor more. And this is exactly what our colleagues atAndroid Authority with the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 update.
They were able to activate desktop mode by plugging their smartphone into an external screen, instead of the mirror mode launched by default. Google has placed emphasis on window management, allowing them to be moved and resized freely, fixed to the left and right edges of the screen, or displayed in full screen. A multiplicity of options that were, until now, not available.
The interface proposed by the firm is similar to what we find on other desktop operating systems, with a bar at the top of the windows which allows you to grab them to move them. It also displays the icon and name of the open application, and above all buttons allowing you to modify their dimensions and locations. Windows and macOS users will therefore not be disoriented.
A desktop mode for everyone on Android 15?
While Google is clearly not inventing the wheel, this update suggests that Android could follow in the footsteps of Samsung DeX and natively offer an interesting desktop experience. Indeed, this mode has, until now, been intended for developers to test the behavior of their applications in multi-screen scenarios, and has therefore remained rather rudimentary.
However, with the activation of Display Port mode on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google is making the use of an external display accessible to more users. If the latter only benefit from mirror mode for the moment, access to a real desktop interface would be rather logical, and even welcome for those who would find a real interest in it and who own a compatible device. It remains to be seen whether Android 15 will really give pride of place to this feature.
Source : Android Authority
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