The new Android 15 feature can turn your smartphone into a desktop computer
Did you know that Android OS has had a desktop mode similar to Samsung Dex for the past five years? It’s true. The mode first came out in 2019 on Android 10. It allowed you to connect your smartphone to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and turn it into a mini desktop. No one can blame you for not knowing it even existed. It was primarily intended for developers to use as a testing ground for their apps. It was as barebones as a system can be. However, recent evidence shows that Google is expanding the feature to be friendlier to the everyday user.
News site Android Authority dove into the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 update and, with some technical know-how, activated desktop mode “to see how the… system has evolved.” It turns out that things have improved quite a bit since 2019.
Their demo video shows that windows can now be dragged and resized on the screen. If you resize it, the page becomes blank except for the app’s logo in the center.
If you move a window to either side, it will snap into place. Then they opened another app, which clicked into place on the other side, giving them two pages side by side, similar to Windows 11. Taking a full-screen page by dragging the top handle shrinks it, making it smaller users can quickly make adjustments.
At the top of each full screen is a small menu. Android Authority states that it “includes the app name, icon, and three buttons to switch between full screen, split screen, and freeform mode. The latter option allows you to drag the window around. While in freeform, apps get a URL bar, a drop-down menu for changing the display mode, plus maximize and close buttons.
Basic, yet important
This may seem like a basic functionality found in all web browsers. Well, that’s because they are. When we said earlier that desktop mode is as barebones as a system can be, we meant it. The thing to keep in mind is that this update represents an ongoing effort to improve this feature. We could see where Android smartphones can turn into capable computers that are more portable than laptops. Technically they already are, but they lack the necessary support.
There is still a lot of work to be done, as the publication shows. For example, most apps “don’t support drag and drop.” There are apparently a few shortcuts present, but the report doesn’t go into detail.
No word on when the revamped mode will launch. Since it’s part of a late beta, we could see the feature arrive on Android 15, which is expected to release sometime between August and October.
Take this information with a grain of salt. After all, Google could suddenly change its mind and end the project. Something similar recently happened with the WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) app on Windows 11. It gives users a way to run Android software natively on the Windows operating system, but as of March 5, 2025, support will be discontinued.
While we’ve got you, check out Ny Breaking’s round-up of the best Android phones for 2024.