The desktop mode for Android phones is beginning to take form, and it appears quite similar.
Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends
Google’s mobile OS includes a hidden desktop mode that activates on an external display, similar to a traditional computing interface. However, this feature is tucked away in developer mode and is not yet refined enough for serious use.
The company is actively working on a future-oriented experience for Android's native desktop mode, aiming to convert your phone and tablet into a desktop computing device. Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority successfully enabled this mode in the recent beta version of Android 16, although he cautions that it might not be ready for a stable release in the upcoming months.
What’s changing?
The most notable improvement is that the desktop experience currently in development includes a comprehensive taskbar along the bottom and a status bar. In contrast, the existing minimal version features an app tray fixed to the left side, lacks full tiling controls, and doesn’t support keyboard shortcuts.
In the developing version at Google, apps are arranged along the bottom edge of the screen, with the three main navigation controls located near the lower right corner.
Rahman mentions that users will be able to resize, reposition, and tile app windows "just like on desktop operating systems." This functionality will also facilitate the dragging and dropping of content between two app windows.
The overarching design of this desktop environment feels familiar for two reasons. First, it closely resembles the way Android manages app windows and taskbar docking on Android tablets.
Is this a Chrome OS influence?
In addition to Google's standard Android experience, Samsung has offered a feature called DeX for several years. It operates seamlessly on tablets and provides an even better experience when connected to an external display.
I personally used the DeX mode via the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 as my main workstation for a couple of weeks. Even smaller brands like Red Magic deliver an impressive gaming-oriented desktop launcher experience built on Android.
Another reason that the upcoming Android desktop mode seems familiar is its similarity to Chrome OS. It's encouraging to see Google maintaining a consistent UI design and experience, a strategy that Apple has effectively implemented for years.
Interestingly, reports suggest that Google may consider merging Chrome OS with Android OS in the future, creating a unified experience. While the company has yet to comment on these plans, announcements may follow during its I/O event later this month.
Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who began exploring smartphone technology out of curiosity and soon...
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The desktop mode for Android phones is beginning to take form, and it appears quite similar.
The most recent beta version of Android 16 has provided insight into the next-generation desktop mode that Google is working on for Android devices.