Google will introduce a new desktop mode on Android 16. Thanks to Samsung, this feature will attempt to compete with its own DeX experience, letting users run apps on resizable windows, with a taskbar at the bottom for enhanced navigation and multitasking.
However, while tablets are being treated to the full desktop experience, users of foldable phones will be dismayed to hear they're being excluded, at least for now.
Windowed App Support Arrives on Android Tablets
Android users have used split-screen mode to multitask among several apps for years. However, as tablets and bigger screen devices have increased in popularity, that mode has begun to feel its constraints. According to Android Police, Android 16 solves that by bringing full windowed multitasking, just like how apps behave on Windows or macOS.
Tablet owners can soon try this feature, whether their devices are plugged into an external display or not. With that, they could access the full desktop experience. That's resizable windows, a taskbar, and multi-monitor support.
With a linked display, Android 16 even offers drag-and-drop for windows between screens and multiple copies of the same app running at once. It's for those who love to be more productive.
Foldables Left Out of On-Device Desktop Experience
Even though they have big folding screens, foldable phones will not have the same native desktop functionality. Google told Ars Technica that phones such as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will merely support the windowed desktop mode on an external display, not on the device's screen itself.
This is a lost chance. Foldables are created to erase the differentiation between phone and tablet, providing ample display space for sophisticated multitasking. But without native on-device desktop mode, users cannot maximize their capability for productivity.
Perhaps this restriction will be temporary. As foldables become more mainstream and popular, Google might ultimately include on-device desktop mode support for these blended devices.
Desktop Mode Support Could Differ Between Android Brands
While Google is spearheading the effort, not every Android 16 device will see full desktop mode capability. The search giant is leaving that up to individual makers. Your favorite brand, unless it's Pixel or Samsung, will likely bypass full desktop support and instead be content with simple external display mirroring.
That level of fragmentation can result in a muddled experience for Android users based on what device they have. On the bright side, Samsung has a good history of doing this and should bring a seamless desktop experience to its future Galaxy tablets and, potentially, some phones.
New 90:10 Split-Screen Mode Enhances Small-Screen Multitasking
Google is also streamlining multitasking on smaller screens with a new 90:10 split-screen mode. One app can occupy 90% of the screen while another app uses the other 10%, either at the top or bottom. It's a wonderful way to keep an auxiliary app, such as a calculator, video, or chat window, in sight without sacrificing the primary task.
Samsung has already implemented this feature in the initial Android 16-based One UI 8 beta for Galaxy S25 users, providing us with a premature glimpse of how it can improve real-world usage.
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