Google Unveils Ambitious Desktop Experience for Android 16, Channeling Inspiration from Samsung DeX

Google has announced the development of a new desktop interface for Android during its I/O 2025 developer conference on Tuesday. The initiative is a partnership with Samsung, aiming to enhance the desktop windowing features originally established by Samsung DeX — an abbreviation of Desktop eXperience — to enrich the desktop-like functionalities not only on Android-powered smartphones and tablets but also across a wider variety of devices with different form factors and features. The goal is to create a more desktop-centric experience for devices when they are linked to external displays.

Desktop Experience in Android 16

At the keynote session of Google I/O 2025, the organization disclosed its efforts to enhance the desktop windowing performance in Android 16 alongside Samsung, aiming to provide “more effective productivity workflows.” Following this, a blog post on the Android Developers blog offered further details about adaptive applications.

According to the tech titan from Mountain View, Android 16 is set to introduce improvements in desktop windowing for offering a “genuine” desktop-like experience. These new features will activate when a device is connected to an external display, likely via a USB connection.

Google indicates that it is utilizing Adaptive Android development as a tactical approach to ensure apps function well across a growing array of devices. By implementing specific design strategies, the company is focusing on code reuse and scalability to guarantee that apps can adjust to various screen sizes with minimal alterations. This applies to more than 500 million active devices, not just smartphones, including but not limited to foldables, tablets, Chromebooks, and in-car infotainment systems.

This aligns with earlier reports that highlighted Google’s progress on the desktop experience. The anticipated desktop environment is expected to help users leverage larger screens via their phones, particularly a Pixel, when connected to an external display such as a laptop via a USB Type-C connection.

A feature known as “enable desktop windowing on secondary displays” was reportedly found in the Android 16 Beta 4, which introduces the Android taskbar, status bar, and a three-button navigation menu when a device is connected. The taskbar includes pinned applications such as Phone, Messages, Camera, Google Chrome, and the app drawer. Reports suggest it will also present recent applications in a recent mode, potentially enhancing multitasking capabilities.