Google is finally building its own DeX: First look at Android’s Desktop Mode

One of the best features of Samsung Galaxy phones is Samsung DeX, a software feature that emulates a desktop UI. When you connect your Samsung phone to an external display, DeX presents a desktop-like interface allowing you to launch multiple apps in floating windows and control everything with a keyboard and mouse. While DeX remains exclusive to Samsung devices, Google is finally working on its own version. We now have a first look at what Android’s upcoming desktop mode will look like on Pixel phones.

Back in March, we spotted evidence that Google is developing a new developer option for Android’s desktop mode. Although I could surface the “enable desktop experience features” developer option, I couldn’t get the feature working on any of my Pixel devices. Recently, however, I successfully enabled Android’s desktop mode on one of my Pixel devices, giving me the opportunity to showcase the current state of Android’s take on a DeX-like experience.

Before I show you Android’s new desktop mode, keep in mind that what you’re about to see is Google’s unfinished work. Desktop mode almost certainly won’t launch in the upcoming Android 16 stable release, which is why we’re not referring to it as an Android 16 feature. Instead, it could arrive in one of the upcoming quarterly releases of Android 16, but if it does, it’ll likely be available only as an opt-in developer option. Google still has a lot of work to do before releasing its DeX competitor, but I’m hoping it’ll be ready for Android 17’s release next year.

With that out of the way, here’s a video showing what Android’s desktop mode looks like right now:

Compared to the current, barebones desktop interface that appears when you connect a Pixel device to an external display, Android’s new desktop mode actually displays the taskbar and status bar. The taskbar is a big addition, as it provides access to your pinned apps and a better version of the app drawer. The taskbar can also show recent apps while in desktop mode, making it easier to multitask.

Speaking of multitasking, it’s possible to launch multiple apps in floating windows simultaneously using the new desktop mode. It’s also possible to freely move, resize, or snap windows to the side, just like on desktop operating systems. This makes it easy to drag and drop content from one app to another, provided the apps you’re using support drag-and-drop.

These features are considered table stakes for any desktop UI, but it’s important that Google nails the basics first. From what I can tell, Google is essentially adapting the desktop windowing mode available on tablets to phones that are hooked up to an external display. For context, Google introduced desktop windowing on tablets with the first quarterly release of Android 15, allowing tablets to launch multiple apps in freeform windows under a new windowing environment. This windowing environment only worked on the built-in display and not external ones, which is why it remained exclusive to tablets. It appears Google is now bringing this same windowing environment to external displays in an upcoming update.

This makes sense as a starting point, but a phone hooked up to an external display shouldn’t provide the exact same experience as a tablet. The phone’s screen is still usable, so there needs to be a way to control the phone using the same peripherals. As we already revealed, though, Google is adding PC-like external display tools to Android, including the ability to rearrange displays, seamlessly move the mouse between them, and more.

Google’s version of desktop mode is long overdue, but I’m still here for it. If the company truly wants to unify its desktop operating efforts behind Android, then it needs to beef up Android’s desktop windowing capabilities. Making desktop mode available to more Android devices will go a long way in making Android apps work better on large screens. I’m just hoping that Google commits to this project and doesn’t release it in a half-baked state.