Google may introduce Desktop View for Android Phones

Smartphones today are more or less at par with the smartest of our computers, and rightfully so. With their powerful processing power and AI, there’s very little they cannot do today. That said, many of them lack software features that make them into a full-fledged workstation.

Manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola have a dedicated desktop mode for their smartphones, but other Android phones, up until now, lacked a desktop mode to bridge the gap for their users. However, it seems as though Google is out to change this with a Desktop View feature. Here’s what we know so far:

Google Desktop View for Android: What's there to know?

Google has been working on a desktop version for its smartphone for a while now but the idea remained dormant after the initial news came out.

According to Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority, the brand is currently looking at improving this dormant functionality.

The article notes how there exists a barebones Android desktop mode in a few devices. That said, it also states how it remains buried under Android’s Developer Options and is only intended for those looking to test the app behaviour on freeform Windows. It goes on to state that this could also be the reason why most Pixel phones haven’t supported a display output, until, of course, recently.

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That said, the brand is gradually working on improving this experience and bringing the dormant desktop mode to life. It recently also introduced desktop windowing capabilities to the first Android 15 quarterly release. Apart from this, it also seems to be testing external display management on Android 16.

When will Desktop View be available for Android devices?

The article or the brand hasn’t mentioned a go-live date for Desktop View and it is hard to tell if or when it will land on our devices. However, the post does mention that the feature was spotted on an Android 16 Beta version 3 with a string titled ‘Enable desktop experience features’.  

With this kept in mind, it may eventually be possible that the experience may be available for eager users soon, but it’s best to take the news with a pinch of salt until Google announces a potential timeline. Make sure you don’t miss the news when it comes out and you’re subscribed to Unboxed by Croma for more.