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Google is working on changes to desktop mode for Android 15

Written By Duane Villanueva
Published • April 7th, 2024
NewsSoftware
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Short URL: https://www.yugatech.com/go/fz93

For Android 15, Google is working on significant changes to desktop mode with a focus on better windowing capabilities.

Google has had a desktop mode available for a while. First released in Android 10, this was left in a barebones state enabling developers to test apps for multi-display windows.

Desktop mode has been making steady progress, now able to handle a side-by-side display with two apps running in-display. More apps can be opened simultaneously using the ‘freeform’ multi-window experience, but with plenty of caveats.

But now, Google is working towards improving the multi-window Android desktop experience with some progress. This article notes certain additions through tinkering with developer flags on the latest Android 14 QPR3 2.1 beta build.

The refined multi-window feature is shown in the video above. This shows a new title bar with a small menu appearing once you tap the small handle on top of a full screen app.

The menu contains options for full screen, split screen, or freeform modes. In freeform mode, windows can be dragged around and resized freely. A ‘snap to edge’ feature also lets end users snap a window to the left or right side of the screen.

You can even skip the entire menu and go from a full screen app and directly into a freeform window. Just hold and drag the new handle on top of a full screen app.

Additionally, there’s still now window positioning or keyboard shortcuts for snapping, nor is there a proper desktop launcher.

These are improvements to productivity, slated to arrive alongside Android 15 in the near future. Google might even market these as part of the Pixel 9 experience upon releases coming around Q4 of the year.

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Duane Villanueva

Communication graduate, closet cynic, and kid at heart. Duane is a rare person to find, quite literally. He often takes to himself but has proven his mettle in tech media with his quick wits. Well, the portfolio of scriptwriting, web content, and public relations help too, we suppose. As a homebody, he often spends his time on the streaming platform Twitch or ‘farming’ gaming clips with friends. He is also an avid fan of round glasses and anything relative to blueberries.