Android

Android’s desktop mode might be able to run directly on tablets, like Samsung DeX

Ben Schoon | Aug 7 2024 - 9:27 am PT

Google has been working on a new desktop mode for Android for a while, but it seems like it might work beyond just an external monitor, as new evidence suggests it could run directly on a tablet’s own display.

Desktop mode in Android is not a particularly new concept, but it’s one that’s really never seen the proper light of day. The idea here is to let Android apps run on a bigger canvas that’s optimized for a keyboard and cursor rather than a touchscreen, with the mode triggering when your device is plugged into an external monitor.

Behind the scenes in Android 15, Google has been putting in a lot of work to improve desktop mode’s functionality and design, but it’s still not live yet in really any meaningful capacity.

Perhaps the most compelling new addition to desktop mode in Android, though, is the apparent ability to run it on the device itself.

The folks over at Android Authority uncovered a new option in development. A “desktop” button in the Recents menu sees Android swap into desktop mode and run the app you picked into a floating freeform window. Desktop mode then becomes an option to return to when you open another app from the homescreen.

While the implementation varies (likely in part because it is not yet complete), this is similar to one of the best features of Samsung’s tablets, support for running DeX on the tablet display. DeX debuted as an option for external monitors, but was later expanded to include tablets.

It’s largely unclear when Google plans to actually launch this functionality, but it seems unlikely at this point to arrive with the full launch of Android 15. Perhaps it’ll take a new Pixel Tablet to get this one over the finish line, but there’s no firm timeline for that yet either.