Android 16 QPR3: Google brings native desktop mode to Pixel 8 and newer

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Google is introducing the desktop mode announced during I/O 2025 for its Pixel smartphones and tablets. The new feature is part of the March update for Google's Pixel models and allows users with a Pixel 8 or newer to connect their device to an external monitor via USB-C to enjoy a “desktop-like multi-window experience.”

Desktop mode soon for other devices

With the new desktop mode, which works with Google's foldables in addition to the Pixel 8 and newer, users can connect their phone to an external monitor (e.g., via USB-C) and use it with a mouse and keyboard as a PC replacement. The Pixel Tablet also receives a desktop mode with app windows that, according to Google, offers “a familiar user interface for arranging and resizing overlapping windows.”

While the desktop mode is currently only supported by Pixel devices, it is also planned to be provided for smartphones and tablets from other manufacturers. The company stated this last year. According to Google, the new desktop mode builds on the desktop window functionality that the company introduced for tablets in September 2024. It was developed in collaboration with Samsung, which has been offering its DeX mode for Galaxy smartphones and tablets for years.

Different modes

Last year, Google already explained that the desktop mode functions differently depending on the output device: for example, when a smartphone or foldable is connected to an external monitor via DisplayPort, a desktop session is automatically initiated on the monitor. The output device and the external display work independently of each other, with apps running on the screen they are assigned to.

When a desktop-capable device like a tablet is connected to an external screen, the second screen serves as an extension of the workspace, similar to classic notebooks. The two screens then work as a continuous system, allowing app windows, content, and the cursor to be moved freely between the screens. In both desktop views, a taskbar is displayed with pinned and active apps, as well as freely positionable windows.

Developer tools

To ensure that apps are not just displayed “somehow” on large screens but are adapted accordingly, Google has extended the Jetpack WindowManager 1.5.0 with the Window Size Classes “Large” (between 1200dp and 1600dp) and “Extra-large” (≥1600dp). According to Google, these allow app layouts to be adapted for large screens. Additionally, with the new Jetpack Navigation 3 Library, Google offers a tool for creating adaptive layouts, as multiple destinations can be displayed simultaneously and seamless switching between these layouts is possible.

(afl)