resizable windows Archives

AppWizard

November 26, 2025

Android set to lead Google’s charge into the PC market

Google is considering a new initiative called Aluminium, which aims to adapt Android's features for laptops and desktops, focusing on ARM architecture and improving multitasking, keyboard-and-mouse input, and file management. Android has over 3 billion active devices globally, while ChromeOS has a low market share in the PC sector. Android has evolved with updates like Android 12L, enhancing usability on large screens, and real-world implementations like Samsung DeX show its potential as a desktop OS. However, challenges remain regarding app usability on larger displays, and improvements in performance, security, and enterprise readiness are needed. Google plans to develop a refined Desktop Mode, implement UX guidelines, establish a native Linux workspace, enhance file access, integrate audio features, and collaborate with OEMs for compatible hardware.

AppWizard

October 27, 2025

AppContext To Keep Apps Alive In Android

Google is set to enhance tablet multitasking in the upcoming Android Q release by introducing a new gesture that allows users to create a compact floating "bubble" window for any app. This feature will enable users to drag an app icon from the taskbar to the screen's bottom corners, facilitating a more seamless app-switching experience. The floating windows will allow various applications, such as browsers and note-taking tools, to float above the main workspace, enabling users to engage with multiple applications simultaneously, particularly on larger devices. This enhancement aims to improve the user experience on Android tablets and foldable devices by providing a more intuitive multitasking environment. The feature will utilize the Bubbles API and is expected to be rolled out for user testing as part of Google's quarterly platform release schedule.

AppWizard

July 15, 2025

channelnews : Google Confirms ChromeOS and Android Merger in Major Software Overhaul

Google has announced plans to merge its operating systems, ChromeOS and Android, into a single platform. This decision was confirmed by Sameer Samat, President of Google’s Android Ecosystem, during an interview. The merger is seen as a response to Apple's iPad and its iPadOS, as Google has struggled in the high-end tablet market. In 2024, Google began integrating Android technology into ChromeOS, introducing desktop features to Android. The company is reportedly starting a multi-year initiative to integrate ChromeOS functions into Android, with a new Pixel Laptop expected to launch alongside the merged operating system. There are concerns about transitioning existing Chromebooks, which use x86 processors, to an Android-focused system that favors Arm architecture.

AppWizard

May 21, 2025

Android 16’s desktop mode was right in front of me the whole time

Samsung's DeX feature allows users to transform their smartphones into a desktop experience by connecting to an external display. Since its introduction with the Galaxy S8, DeX has evolved, and Google is collaborating with Samsung to enhance it for Android 16's Native desktop mode. This mode aims to improve Android's desktop functionalities, which have previously been limited. Samsung's recent "New DeX" mode, introduced with One UI 6.0 and Android 14, allows for resizable app windows, but Google may choose to adopt a design inspired by the classic DeX experience instead. The future of desktop mode in Android remains uncertain, particularly regarding external display options.

BetaBeacon

February 3, 2025

Xiaomi’s new WinPlay system will let you play Windows games on its Android tablets

Xiaomi is testing running Windows games on its Android tablets, with WinPlay supporting Steam and other storefronts, recruiting testers for the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 in China. The tablet has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and 8/12/16GB of RAM. Tomb Raider Game of the Year Edition runs at an average of 45fps with a total device power consumption of 8.3W. Need for Speed Most Wanted (Limited Edition) has been demonstrated running on the tablet with an Xbox controller, with support for keyboards and mice.

AppWizard

November 26, 2024

Google preps new features for Android desktop windowing, including a minimize button

Google is enhancing the desktop windowing capabilities of Android with the upcoming release of Android 15 QPR1, which will introduce features such as buttons to minimize applications and the ability to open them in new windows. The desktop windowing feature allows users to operate multiple applications in resizable windows, with a taskbar for managing running and pinned applications. Users can activate desktop windowing by dragging a fullscreen app's pill or using a keyboard shortcut. A new “multi-instance property” for developers will enable apps to launch as multiple instances, and a minimize button will allow users to minimize and reopen application windows via the taskbar. The Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release has also introduced an “app-to-web” feature for select applications, enhancing usability.

AppWizard

June 6, 2024

Google Keep Might Soon Introduce This Long-Awaited Feature on Android

Google Keep on Android may soon allow users to change the size of windows, with a new sliding pane layout for customizing windows without fixed ratios. Devices with a pixel density higher than 600ppi may gain support for resizable windows.