This potential Android 15 feature could turn your tablets into PCs

By Willow Roberts Published August 29, 2024

Android has toyed with desktop modes for a while now, but only Samsung’s DeX has actually come to fruition. Android Authority has been keeping an eye on a rumored revamp of Android desktop mode, though, and discovered that it now not only runs on external monitors, but also directly on tablets.

The years-old feature was originally aimed at developers for testing apps, but Google has since added some new windowing options and, if this discovery is anything to go by, may be planning to bring the desktop experience to a wider audience.

While we don’t know anything for sure yet, the idea does make sense considering you can now use Samsung DeX mode directly on newer Galaxy tablet models, and Google may want a similar feature for the rumored Pixel Tablet successor.

A video on Android Authority shows the quick transition into desktop mode, where it’s possible to open apps as floating windows and move, resize, or snap them to the side of the screen.

One key difference between the current state of Android desktop mode and Samsung DeX is that the Android version creates a completely separate desktop environment, while DeX merges the tablet Home Screen with desktop-like features.

This could just be because we’re dealing with an unfinished version, but there’s also a chance that it could be by design. If that’s the case, it could be possible to create an experience where users are swapping between tablet and desktop modes at will — something DeX can’t do.

It’s probably a little too soon to get excited, however, since Google hasn’t announced anything about the feature and it could just as easily disappear in later versions of the Android 15 Beta.