Right this moment, we’re saying a developer preview that gives you with an early alternative to expertise and check desktop windowing.
– Francesco Romano – Developer Relations Engineer on Android, and Fahd Imtiaz – Product Supervisor, Android Developer, September 2024
To empower pill customers to get extra finished, Google is enhancing free-form windowing, permitting customers to run a number of apps concurrently and resize home windows for optimum multitasking. “Right this moment, we’re excited to share that desktop windowing on Android tablets is obtainable in developer preview”, the weblog put up reads.That is nice information, as I’ve at all times been bugged by the dearth of pill app window look.
You’ll be able to attempt it out on Pixel Pill earlier than it’s launched to AOSP (Android Open Supply Undertaking) extra broadly. “The preview is obtainable immediately”, Google says.
To offer it a attempt, it’s best to replace your Pixel Pill to the most recent Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 launch to check out desktop windowing. In case you don’t have a Pixel Pill accessible, you should use the Pixel Pill emulator in Android Studio Preview. Choose the Android 15.0 (Google APIs Pill) goal. After establishing your system, allow the “Freeform home windows” choice in Developer choices to check the desktop windowing options and see how your app performs on this setting.
For app builders, the idea of Android apps working in free-form home windows has already been launched by means of platforms like Samsung DeX and ChromeOS. Updating apps to help adaptive layouts, improved multitasking, and versatile enter dealing with ensures they carry out effectively on massive screens all through the Android ecosystem.
By optimizing apps for desktop windowing on the Pixel Pill, builders not solely improve the consumer expertise on that system but in addition put together their apps for future use throughout the broader Android ecosystem, the place freeform windowing will turn into extra frequent. The chances created by desktop windowing are thrilling, and builders are inspired to adapt their apps to ship a extra superior consumer expertise.
What’s desktop windowing?
Desktop windowing allows customers to run a number of apps without delay and resize home windows, providing a extra versatile, desktop-like expertise on Android tablets. With a refreshed System UI and new APIs, this function enhances productiveness by making a seamless multitasking setting.
- Customers can run a number of apps side-by-side, concurrently
- Taskbar is fastened and reveals the working apps, customers can pin apps for fast entry
- New header bar with window controls on the prime of every window which apps can customise
By default, apps open in full display screen on Android tablets. To modify an app to desktop windowing mode on the Pixel Pill, press and maintain the window deal with on the prime middle of the display screen, then drag it throughout the UI.As soon as in desktop mode, any apps launched afterward will open in desktop home windows. Alternatively, desktop windowing will be enabled by means of the menu that seems when tapping the window deal with or by utilizing the keyboard shortcut (meta key + Ctrl + Down).
To exit desktop windowing and return to full display screen, shut all lively home windows or drag the window deal with to the highest of the display screen. You can even use the keyboard shortcut (meta + H) to modify again to full display screen mode.
To return to desktop mode, transfer a full display screen app to the desktop house utilizing the strategies talked about, or faucet the desktop tile within the Recents display screen.
For app builders
For app builders, desktop windowing on Android tablets provides new alternatives, particularly for apps targeted on productiveness and multitasking. It permits customers to resize and transfer a number of app home windows, making duties like evaluating paperwork or writing emails whereas referencing info simpler.
To make the most of this, builders ought to optimize their apps for pill screens. In case your app is already optimized for giant screens, minimal changes are wanted. If not, updating it to deal with totally different display screen sizes and orientations turns into necessary.
Key issues to deal with:
- Freeform resizing: Apps will be resized to totally different dimensions, so the structure ought to adapt to numerous window sizes.
- Multitasking: Apps ought to work effectively when a number of home windows are open and help drag-and-drop actions between apps.
- Multi-instance help: Apps can run in a number of cases side-by-side, which is beneficial for issues like engaged on a number of paperwork without delay.
Total, desktop windowing makes tablets extra environment friendly for multitasking, and optimizing for it might probably enhance the consumer expertise.
