Android’s next big feature turns your phone into a desktop

A beta physique of Android 16 contains an aboriginal mentation of Google’s caller Android Desktop Mode that, successful the future, could fto users simply plug their smartphone into a show and usage it similar a laptop oregon desktop computer.

The caller diagnostic was shared by Android tinkerer Mishaal Rahman reporting for Android Authority. Rahman manually enabled Android Desktop Mode nether developer options connected his Google Pixel 8 Pro moving the latest Android 16 beta. After plugging it into a USB-C compatible monitor, it instantly displays a PC-like interface connected the outer display, as you tin spot arsenic successful his video:

It looks akin to Samsung’s useful DeX feature that lets you dock a Galaxy smartphone to a show for a windowed experience.

Android Desktop Mode puts Android’s presumption barroom connected the apical truthful you tin spot your Wi-Fi and awesome strength, and there’s a taskbar connected the bottommost that lets you pin apps for casual access. The taskbar besides gives you a Windows Start Menu-style app drawer, and you get entree to Android’s autochthonal navigation buttons connected the close extremity of the taskbar. Apps tally successful windowed modes that look a batch similar the acquisition connected Android tablets, but you besides get Windows PC-like abilities specified arsenic snapping windows to the near and close of the screen.

Last year, Rahman recovered an aboriginal mentation of Google’s desktop acquisition didn’t bash overmuch much than fto you drop a resizable windowed app onto a bigger screen. In March, Google upped its abilities to see a show placement absorption mounting that lets you resistance boxes to put your mobile surface and show truthful you tin marque it easier to navigate your cursor betwixt them, overmuch similar the show statement settings you’ll find connected desktop operating systems. 

Rahman says Desktop Mode mightiness not beryllium acceptable astatine motorboat for Android 16, which is expected to motorboat this spring. It could travel aboriginal successful a quarterly update oregon adjacent arsenic portion of Android 17, which won’t apt travel until 2026.