Google Unveils Native Desktop Mode in Android 16

Abdullah Mustapha

May 22, 2025

Google has officially announced that Android 16 will have a built-in desktop mode. The feature was showcased during the I/O 2025 developer keynote. The mode was created in collaboration with Samsung. That makes sense—Samsung has been using DeX, its desktop-mode-like interface, for a long time. DeX first appeared in 2017 with the Galaxy S8.

Android 16 to Have a Built-in Desktop Mode Co-Created with Samsung

We first glimpsed Android’s desktop mode in the keynote, at about the 20:54 minute point. The interface is clean and familiar. It is similar to Chrome OS, with a taskbar down the bottom of the screen. Pinched-up apps line up along the bar, so they can quickly be seen in terms of their most used tools.

We were able to view some of Google’s most used apps in the demo, including Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Photos. They all launched in windowed mode. This is a signal that Android’s desktop mode will support full multi-window functionality.

Google states that this new mode is accompanied by improved windowing capabilities. Users can resize and reposition application windows, similar to how they do on a laptop or PC. This enables Android to be more productive for tasks, particularly on tablets, foldables, and bigger screens.

Android 16 to Launch Native Desktop Mode

Another notable improvement is adaptive app scaling. Apps will automatically scale when switching to desktop mode. No more awkward layouts or broken interfaces. The same adaptive scaling will be applied to Android Automotive and Android XR platforms as well.

Good news for developers. Now they can create one app that works on phones, computers, cars, and even on extended reality devices. That reduces the development time and improves the user experience across the board.

By adding this desktop mode, Android is not just a mobile operating system anymore. It’s a full-fledged computing platform. Users will be able to get more done on a single device—whether that’s writing emails, watching videos, or multitasking among several apps.

Android 16’s desktop mode can revolutionize the way we think about mobile computing. And with Samsung making the technology happen behind the scenes, anticipation runs high for a seamless, solid experience.

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