Let’s explain to you what is android desktop mode, an option that we have been waiting for years as standard on our devices. This is something that Samsung has been offering it through DeX for yearsand that we have seen on mobile phones like Motorola and some Huawei models. Now, it is starting to arrive as standard on Android.
We are going to start the article by explaining how this feature works, and what the concept it pursues is. Then, we will explain its implementation so that you know how it can be activated, also mentioning For which mobile phones is it initially available?although it is to be hoped that as months and years go by it will end up reaching many more.
What is Android desktop mode
Connect your mobile to a monitor and launch an adapted Android at this screen size. It seems like a wet dream, making Android look like a desktop operating system, but this is the desktop mode that Google is starting to enable.
When you are using the mobile in this desktop mode, the entire interface will change. You will have a desk with a lower dock with applications that we have launched. We also have a menu bar above where on the left we see the time and on the right the battery and connectivity controls.
You will also have a button that acts as a start menu. Besides that, open applications will be seen in windowsand just like in GNU/Linux and macOS, an indicator will appear in the dock telling you which ones are open.
This will allow you to do two or three things at the same time, such as reading the content of a social network in one window while watching a video in the other. In general, the experience is similar to that of a PCand you can even open notifications and quick settings. In fact, you can see the quick settings on a double screen to see the options within the menus.
In addition to this, you will also be able to resize and move windows of applications to place them wherever you like on the desktop. You’ll be able to pin apps to the taskbar, show all open apps, and even use Android’s three-button control system.
Finally, know that desktop mode It will use the apps that you already have installed on Android. It is not a separate operating system, but an interface that the mobile itself has to launch itself that way when you are viewing it on a larger screen.
Desktop mode too It will allow you to use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. You will have to link them to your mobile, and when you are in desktop mode you can simply use them as if it were a computer.
What mobile is it compatible for?
Currently, desktop mode is only supported with Pixel phones from Google. And not with everyone, but from Pixel 8 onwards. You will have to update Android to receive its latest version, and in it you will already have the function natively when you connect your mobile.
Being a native Android function, it is possible that over time it will also end up reaching other devices. But as always, you will first have them in the Pixel as an exclusive feature. We’ll have to wait and see when it reaches the others.
How to activate Android desktop mode
To activate desktop mode, you have to connect your mobile to an external screen. Since the Pixel has a USB-C port, you will have to use a cable with this connector or a cable that connects from USB-C to Micro HDMI, or whatever format the external monitor uses.
The mobile will automatically detect that you have connected it to the screen. Then, a pop-up window will appear asking you what you want to do after connecting.
In this message, you simply have to click on the option Computer and that’s it. Now connect mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth and voila, your mobile is now a computer. The projector mode that you also have as an option is the one in which you can see on the screen what you are doing on your mobile, but without using it directly on it. The mode to choose is Computer.
Images | Javier Pastor
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