Google is making strides in enhancing the desktop windowing capabilities of Android, a feature that has been anticipated by users for some time. The upcoming release of Android 15 QPR1 is set to introduce several new functionalities aimed at improving user experience on large-screen devices, particularly tablets.
New Features on the Horizon
Among the notable additions are buttons designed to minimize applications and the ability to open them in new windows. While the initial rollout of desktop windowing was introduced in the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 for the Pixel Tablet, it lacked some essential features, such as a minimize button. Fortunately, these enhancements are expected to arrive in future updates.
Desktop windowing allows users to operate multiple applications simultaneously in resizable windows, akin to traditional desktop environments. When activated, a taskbar appears at the bottom of the screen, displaying both running and pinned applications. Each application window features a header bar that includes controls for maximizing and closing the window, as well as a dropdown menu for adjusting windowing modes.
To engage desktop windowing, users can press and hold the pill at the top of any fullscreen app and drag it to relaunch it as a freeform window. Alternatively, the desktop windowing button in the header bar’s dropdown menu or the Command + Ctrl + Down keyboard shortcut can be utilized. Once one app is in desktop mode, subsequent applications will also launch in this format. Exiting is straightforward, requiring users to close all windows or drag any window’s pill to the top of the screen.
Developer Enhancements and User Experience
Google’s announcement also highlighted a new “multi-instance property” for developers, allowing apps to be launched as multiple instances. This feature hints at the introduction of a “new window” button in the dropdown menu, which has not yet been fully integrated into current builds but has been discovered in the latest Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release.
In addition to the new window functionality, the anticipated minimize button will enable users to minimize application windows, which can then be reopened via the taskbar. This feature mimics the behavior found in conventional desktop operating systems, providing a familiar interface for users transitioning from traditional computing environments.
Furthermore, the recent Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release has unveiled an “app-to-web” feature, allowing select applications like Google Photos to offer an “open in browser” option. This feature enables users to choose whether to open web links within the app or in their browser, enhancing flexibility and usability.
As Google continues to refine Android’s desktop windowing capabilities, it aims to position the operating system as a viable competitor in the desktop space, particularly as it transitions Chrome OS to an Android foundation. While there is still considerable work ahead, these updates signal a promising shift towards a more robust desktop experience on Android devices.
