Every year at Google I/O, we see the giant tech company Google expand their visions about hardware and software. While Android was born as an OS for smartphones, it has evolved over the years to be integrated into smartwatches, smart TVs, laptops, Chromebooks and now it supports foldable phones.
But Android hasn’t stopped yet – Google is now asking the developers to make apps support both desktops and monitors, which means that we will see an Android Q Desktop Mode.
Spotted by XDA Developers, we learned a few things about the Desktop mode from Andrii Kulian, Software Engineer on the Android Framework WindowManager Team (who is working on the Multi-Display project). At Google I/O the team showed how developers could make their apps support multi-display environments:
“Foldable phones may have several screens, but you can also find multi-display in cars, in phones connected to larger screens in desktop mode, in Chrome OS, and so on.”
Android has developed this mode and now is encouraging app developers to make their apps support desktop environments, which is great news!
How will Android Desktop Mode work and when can we see it in action?
Developers have the tools to make apps for Android Q work in desktop mode, and they can add features such as:
- An app that supports multiple instances can have Android create a second window of the app on the secondary display through the intent flags – NEW_TASK and MULTIPLE_TASK.
- You can have your app run and focus on another app with the ‘multi-resume behavior.’
- Desktop mode can support third-party launchers on secondary screens.
- Developers can test the apps on secondary screens by using “force desktop mode.”
- Wallpapers are supported on secondary screens.
- The keyboard can be shown on the secondary screen.
Other more features can be checked at the XDA Developers report in the link provided above, or you can watch them in the video from Google I/O conference:
Hopefully, we will see the Android Q Desktop Mode on the Pixel 4, but that’s going to happen when the new Pixels are launched in about five months.
