With help from Samsung, Google will add a desktop mode to Android 16 later this year. Similar to DeX, it will enable you to run apps in windowed mode, with a taskbar at the bottom to help switch between multiple windows. On phones, Android 16’s desktop mode will only activate when connected to an external display. On tablets, however, the feature will work regardless of display connection. If you expected Android 16’s desktop mode to work on foldables like it does on tablets, prepare to be disappointed.
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Android devices already support split-screen multitasking. While this works well on phones, running apps in windowed mode is a better way to fully utilize the larger screen real estate offered by foldables and tablets.
No wonder Google is bringing its desktop mode and windowing capabilities to Android tablets, irrespective of whether they are connected to an external display or not. And with an external display connected, the experience gets even better with a multi-monitor setup, enabling you to move windows across screens and run multiple instances of the same app.
However, foldables won’t get the same treatment despite packing big displays. Google confirmed to Ars Technica that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and other foldables will only have access to windowing features on the connected external screen. Unlike tablets, they won’t get the ability to run apps in window mode directly on their inner folding screen.
That’s a bummer, since an on-device desktop mode would have allowed users to better take advantage of the large inner displays on folding phones. Hopefully, Google will change its stance in the future and introduce on-device desktop support for book-style foldables.
Android device makers may or may not adopt Android 16’s desktop mode
More importantly, Google is leaving it up to Android manufacturers to implement desktop mode support. So, while Pixels will support the new desktop mode post an update later this year, other devices might only offer basic external display support with Android 16.
Thankfully, Google will ease the pain of small-screen multitasking in Android 16 with a new 90:10 split-screen mode. It will allow you to run one app in near full screen, with the other occupying 10% of the screen at the top or bottom. The feature is already available for Galaxy S25 users in the first Android 16-based One UI 8 beta.
