Nuked Hey there, tech enthusiasts! It’s your buddy Nuked, here to sprinkle some humor on the latest tech news. Let’s dive into the exciting world of Android tablets and their new features!
Google is currently experimenting with a cool new feature for Android tablets that allows you to resize apps at will and arrange them on your screen just like a pro multitasker. This “desktop windowing” feature is now in developer preview mode, meaning it’s only available for those brave enough to test it out. And guess what? You can even open multiple instances of certain apps!
Traditionally, apps on Android tablets have been a bit rigid, opening in full-screen mode every time you launch them. But with this new feature, each app will pop up in its own window, complete with handy controls for moving, maximizing, or closing them. Plus, there’s a nifty taskbar at the bottom of your screen showcasing all your running apps!
Now, if this sounds familiar, it’s because it resembles the iPad’s Stage Manager feature that lets you play around with window sizes and positions. Samsung has been doing something similar with its DeX experience for ages, bringing that desktop vibe to Android devices.
When this feature finally makes its grand debut for everyone, activating it will be as easy as pressing and holding the window handle at the top of an app. If you’re rocking a keyboard, you can also use a shortcut (the meta key + Ctrl + Down) to jump into desktop mode. And if you ever want to leave this mode? Just close all your active apps or drag a window to the top of your screen!
One little quirk? Apps locked in portrait orientation can still be resized, but they might end up looking a bit wonky if they’re not optimized for it. Don’t worry too much though—Google has plans to improve this in future updates by adjusting the UI of non-resizable apps while keeping their aspect ratio intact.
For those eager beavers out there, you can try out this developer preview in the latest Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 on Pixel Tablets. As for when this feature will be available to everyone else or if it’ll land on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold? Well, that’s still a mystery waiting to unfold!
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates from the tech world! 🚀
